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The Courier’s May 17 Primary Election endorsements Page B3
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 19 Two Sections
MAY 11-17, 2022
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‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ Gwen’s Girls celebrates 20 years
DR. KATHI ELLIOTT, center, CEO and executive director of Gwen’s Girls, with Gwen’s Girls students and staff during an appearance at the S.H.Y.N.E. Awards in Pittsburgh. Gwen’s Girls is celebrating 20 years as an organization in Pittsburgh.
by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
Dr. Kathi R. Elliott, daughter to the founder of the organization Gwen’s Girls, and its current executive director, has a vivid understanding of the need for this organization because, as she said,
“I was the original Gwen’s Girl.” “My mom was divorced, and had to work, and there had to be support for her as she was raising my brother and me alone,” Dr. Elliott said. This is just part of what makes her uniquely qualified to be at the helm of
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Gwen’s Girls, a heralded organization in Pittsburgh that is celebrating 20 years in 2022. “I am filled with gratitude to be able to continue my mother’s legacy. And am equally thankful for the partners without whose support, it would have been far more challeng-
ing to sustain over the years,” Dr. Elliott told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview. “We would not be where we are today were it not for the consistency of our partnerships and collaborations we’ve had—because they believed in our mission; but also in the
name of my mom and the relationships she created.” When the late Pittsburgh Police Commander Gwendolyn J. Elliott started Gwen’s Girls in 2002, she knew that there was a specific need for girls in this region that was not being met. She
felt there were many programs for boys at risk, but nothing for girls, no space for them to get services to help them navigate through those often-turbulent adolescent periods. Her vision came to fruSEE GWEN’S GIRLS A4
COURIER’S RICCO J.L. MARTELLO HONORED
Just 31% of city’s homicides in 2022 are solved by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Nearly four weeks since a mass shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Easter Sunday shook the region, made national headlines and left two teens lifeless, there are still no arrests. Nine months after the senseless shooting death of 26-year-old Zaviawna
Gathers in Wilkinsburg, her family is pleading for answers as to who killed her. Police have made no arrests. And just recently, a triple shooting in the Allentown neighborhood on Monday, May 9, left a 17-year-old dead. Pittsburgh Police have no suspect descriptions. SEE HOMICIDES A11
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COURIER PHOTOGRAPHER RICCO J.L. MARTELLO, center, was bestowed the Professional Leadership Award from NABHI Christian Ministries, April 22. In addition to numerous proclamations, April 22, 2022, was declared “Ricco J.L. Martello Day” in the City of Pittsburgh. He’s pictured with Rev. Jacque Fielder and Chris Moore. For more photos, see Page A10. (Photo by Ashley G. Woodson)
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This Week In Black History A Courier Staple • MAY 11
1933—Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is born Eugene Walcott on this day in the Bronx, N.Y. He was raised by his St. Kitts-born mother in Roxbury, Mass. Prior to joining the Nation of Islam in 1955, Walcott had achieved celebrity status in the Boston area as a Calypso singer, dancer and violinist known as MIN. LOUIS FARRAKAN “The Charmer.” 1968—Nine caravans of protesters arrived in Washington, D.C., for the first phase of the Poor Peoples Campaign—an anti-poverty effort conceived by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The campaign aimed to united Black, white and Hispanic poor people in an effort to pressure the government to do more to eliminate poverty in America. King had been assassinated the previous April, so the campaign was led by his lieutenant, Rev. Ralph Abernathy. The campaign erected Resurrection City near the Lincoln Monument and held daily demonstrations in Washington from May 14 to June 24.
• MAY 12
1862—In a bold and heroic endeavor, Robert Smalls led 12 other slaves and stole a Confederate warship, then turning it over to Union forces. The White THE captain of the steamer NEW PITTSBURGH Planter and other officers had gone ashore for a COURIER party in Charleston, S.C. PUBLISHING COMPANY Smalls, a wheelman, quickly organized the Black Publication No.: USPS 381940 crew and steered the ship out of Charleston harbor 315 East Carson Street right past the unsuspectPittsburgh, PA 15219 ing Confederate forces. For his daring deed, Smalls Phone: 412-481-8302 was commissioned a Fax: 412-481-1360 2nd lieutenant. After the Civil War, he was elected The congressman from South New Pittsburgh Courier Carolina.
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1940—Jazz singer Al Jarreau was born on this day in Milwaukee, Wisc.
• MAY 13
1865—The last battle of the Civil war ends. Ironically, it appears the Confederate troops won the battle at Palmetto Ranch, Texas. However, it was the actions and bravAL JARREAU ery of the 62nd Regiment of United States Colored Troops that prevented the defeat from turning into a rout. The Confederates had actually underestimated the fighting prowess of the Blacks, assuming they would run in fear when the fighting began. Instead, what occurred was the rapid defeat of two White regiments but the Black soldiers of the 62nd held firm. The Confederates would later surrender. 1950—Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder is born Steveland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Mich. Wonder has recorded more than 30 Top 10 hits and has received 25 Grammy awards,one of the most-awarded male solo artists, and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the Top STEVIE WONDER 60 best-selling music artists. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a holiday in the United States.
• MAY 14
1885—Erskine Henderson, an African American jockey, wins the Kentucky Derby on “Joe Cotton”—a horse trained by Alex Perry—an African American trainer. Henderson was the sixth Black jockey to win the coveted race. Indeed, Black jockeys and trainers dominated the Kentucky Derby from 1875 to 1902. However, while some of the reasons are not entirely clear, it appears that as the race became more and more prosperous, Black jockeys and trainers were forced out.
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JAMES EARL GREEN and PHILLIP LAFAYETTE GIBBS
ROBERT SMALLS
1970—A student protest on the campus of Mississippi’s Jackson State University leads to a massive confrontation with local police authorities. When
the smoke cleared, two students had been shot and killed and another 12 injured or wounded. Reasons given for the protests ranged from opposition to the War in Vietnam, racial tensions and anger over the National Guard killings of White students on the campus of Kent State University earlier in the month. The university memorialized the disturbance by naming the area where it took place “Gibbs-Green Plaza” after the two students who were killed—Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, 21, and James Earl Green, 17. 1985—In a confrontation with the Black Nationalist back-to-nature group MOVE, Philadelphia police drop an incendiary device on the group’s home and headquarters. The decision to bomb had been apparently approved by Black Mayor Wilson Goode. Eleven MOVE members, including five children, were killed. RAMONA AFRICA The only adult survivor was Ramona Africa. More than 60 homes in the surrounding area were burned to the ground. It was never fully clear why the decision to drop the bomb was made.
• MAY 15
1911—Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the nation’s leading Black fraternities, is founded on this day on the campus of Indiana University by 10 young men led by Elder W. Diggs and Byron K. Armstrong. 1942—The 93rd Infantry is activated and assigned to combat in the Pacific. It thus became the first African-American division formed during World War II.
•MAY 16
1868—The United States Senate fails by one vote in securing the two-thirds vote needed to convict President Andrew Johnson of the articles of impeachment, which had been brought against him. The failure was a major setback for Black rights in America because Johnson had become a leading opponent of voting rights and economic advancement for the recently freed slaves. While the impeachment trial did not center on Black rights, Blacks would have clearly benefited if Johnson had been expelled from office. 1929—Detroit Representative John Conyers Jr., one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, was born on this day in 1929. He remains one of the most progressive members of the United States Congress. 1966—Janet Jackson, of the famous and talented Jackson family, is born on this day in Gary, Ind. Controversy remains as to whether Janet has a secret daughter. 1990—Sammy Davis Jr. dies in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 64. Davis, born in Harlem, N.Y., was a world class entertainer who performed well as an actor, singer and dancer. He was also a member of Hollywood’s popular and notorious “Rat Pack,” which included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford.
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Gwen’s Girls, 20 years GWEN’S GIRLS FROM A1
GWEN’S GIRLS founder, the late Gwen Elliott, first row, center, in front of the first location for the organization.
ition with the support of Allegheny County’s Office of Children, Youth and Families. As an early funder, they paved the way for other funders to get on board to establish programs designed to help girls have productive lives. “Some of the sustaining partners over the years, along with DHS-CYF (Department of Human Services-Children, Youth and Families), have been The Heinz Endowments, most recently RK Mellon, and Hillman, as well as our relationships with area universities and community entities for which we remain grateful—they have been instrumental in our ability to deliver our mission,” Dr. Elliott said. Thousands of girls have come through the Gwen’s Girls program in the past 20 years. Gwen’s Girls has three residential program locations—the North Side, Clairton and Wilkinsburg. Between those locations, the Gwen’s Girls programs include its Academic Support Initiative, After-School Programming, Clinical Services, Mentoring, and the Black Girls Advocacy Leadership Alliance. About 350 girls ages 8 and up are involved in the programs annually, the majority of whom are African American. Dr. Elliott came to be the second executive director of the organization a little under seven years ago. She spoke of the standout achievements, the challenges and victories encountered along the way. “The most overriding challenge we’ve faced has been low academic achievement and high suspension rates of girls in our programs; these urgently needed to be addressed,” Dr. Elliott told the Courier. “When we examined the data, we found this was an issue that was impacting Black girls across Allegheny County. We worked with other community partners, along with researchers from universities in our region, and system administrators to further evaluate. “With that said, being able to connect with girls and their families, and redirect the pattern where the needs of Black girls and women are second to others, was a win; and though we still have a list of inequities that
impact women—we are privileged to be available to bridge that gap for women and girls in this region. We see this as a victory we will work to sustain,” Dr. Elliott said. In 2016, Gwen’s Girls held its first Black Girls Equity Summit. Dr. Kathy W. Humphrey, now president of Carlow University, was a co-sponsor of the summit. The summit came out of an exploration of the data that showed the disparity between Black girls and others in this region around juvenile justice, health and wellness, and education. The initial summit brought together the leaders of these systems for the purpose of addressing these disproportionate number of Black girls being represented in said systems. Out of the summit, the Black Girls Equity Alliance was formed, and the group has been meeting monthly ever since. This group is comprised of individuals across genres who have a stake in examining the causation factors, the disparities, and exploring solutions; all culminating with creating a new reality for Black children in this region. “Everyone leaves their egos at the door, whether they be a judge, an educator, a community activist, an administrator or whatever,” Dr. Elliott said about the group that meets monthly. “There is one goal in mind—to address the many systemic racial issues that impact our girls on a daily basis, trying to address those barriers so our children can have access to the things that shouldn’t have barriers in the first place.” Gwen’s Girls this year won a contract with Allegheny County CYF to spearhead a “Pre-Diversion Program” in efforts to keeping girls out of the criminal justice system. “Our job is to create a network of resources for families instead of calling 911—and even the police, as partners in this effort, would be aware that (an) incident is not one they would be called for; they, too, would have the resources to refer parents, and/or schools to (instead of incarceration),” Dr. Elliott told the Courier. Jacki Hoover, deputy director of Allegheny SEE GWEN’S GIRLS A5
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of Inspiring New Destiny GWEN’S GIRLS FROM A4
County Children, Youth and Families, said that Gwen’s Girls “has been a pretty important and powerful partner. Always willing to see and hear what the community needs and then change their service delivery within the community.” Hoover added: “They know and they understand the needs of the community and they want to be that agency that meets the needs.” Hoover told the Courier she recalled the late Commander Gwen Elliott’s commitment to supporting the girls and families on the North Side who found them-
THE GWEN’S GIRLS ORGANIZATION, with Senator Bob Casey.
THE EARLY DAYS OF GWEN’S GIRLS—Shown in back row, center, is the late Gwen Elliott.
selves involved with the department of Children, Youth and Families. Hoover said the partnership between Gwen’s Girls and CYF goes back to Gwen’s Girls’ infancy in 2002. She recalled how Commander Elliott, as a member of law enforcement, would talk to girls and families about the dangers of sex trafficking—”the dangers of being groomed, being lured to this type of trafficking,” Hoover said. For Commander Elliott, Hoover said, it was all about “empowering” girls in Pittsburgh. She said Commander Elliott’s daughter is the same way. “There isn’t anything that I bring to her that she (Kathi Elliott) isn’t willing to be a great partner on,” Hoover told the Courier. “I’ve seen her really
be proactive, not only in the North Side, but also in the East End community; she’s really focused on creating opportunities for those who are more vulnerable, particularly women and girls of color.” On Thursday, May 12, Gwen’s Girls will celebrate “20 years of Inspiring New Destiny,” during a gala at the Wyndham Grand Hotel, Downtown. There will be legacy awards given to: Alma Speed Fox (posthumously); Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey; Maurita Bryant; Esther Bush; Doris Carson Williams; Courier editor and publisher Rod Doss; Tim Stevens; Bill Strickland; Sala Udin; and Cyril Wecht. The honorary chair is Blayre Holmes Davis, director of community relations for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During the affair, Dr. Elliott will discuss a new physical building in Wilkinsburg which will house Gwen’s Girls, as the organization enters its next 20 years of “inspiring new destiny.” “I hope that the girls understand that no matter where they come from,” Dr. Elliott told KDKA-TV, “no matter what their life experiences are, whatever’s going on in their family and in the community, that whatever they choose to be and dream about, they can do that.”
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HEALTH
MAY 11-17, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Take Charge Of Your Health Today. Be Informed. Be Involved.
Climate change How do you see climate change impacting your community’s health? I see it impacting the quality of life of our children and families in many ways. It impacts our physical health when our children have asthma at higher rates and are exposed to greater heat and anguish living in environments that don’t have adequate tree cover. It impacts our mental health when we
have to deal with higher levels of discomfort and air pollution at higher rates as a result of redlining and other systemic racist policies. Further, our children and families are negatively impacted by not having access to beautiful green space where they can relax and play and this creates higher stress levels. Our families deserve to have the basic comforts and quality of life shared by more privileged populations. What are some changes that the Urban League may be able to lead? First and foremost, we can hold ourselves accountable and try to be good role models when it comes to protecting natural resources, reduction of consumerism and waste, and reduction
CARLOS T. CARTER of energy consumption where and when possible. The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh continues to advocate for policy change that leads to a better
quality of life for African Americans and other marginalized communities in Southwestern PA. Whenever possible, we make sure our voice is at the table when health and policy issues are discussed. We continue to advocate for issues that affect the Black Community. However, we cannot lead every issue impacting Black people. Whenever possible we will continue to collaborate and partner with organizations in the region who are focused on this charge. How do we make climate change a priority for all of us? We start by saying that climate change is having an impact on our planet Earth and its people. Specifically, we need to acknowledge the dire impacts it is having on children, especially those
in marginalized communities around the globe. Those who are living in flood plains and barren and arid geographic areas are the first to suffer from increasingly volatile weather conditions. We need to advocate and support responsible policy change that protects the health and wellbeing of all people and of our planet. We must single out and support organizations that are doing the work to protect us and that are committed to sustainable practices that safeguard our most vulnerable communities. We need to vote and to hold government officials accountable. We must use our voices to demand better for our local community and for our global community.
(Carlos Carter is President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.)
Working together to take on the climate crisis by Dr. Gabriel Cisneros & Dr. Maya Ragavan Climate change is here and everyone is suffering from the results. In Pittsburgh, we feel it in hotter-than-average temperatures and more deadly heat waves. We cope with it as heavy rain and snow, that leads to frequent and severe flooding and landslides. These conditions make it harder to get to work, stores, or school. We notice it in spring when weekly temperatures may rise from 19 degrees on a Tuesday morning to 75 degrees on a Thursday afternoon. Black communities suffer more from climate change In Pittsburgh and throughout the U.S., Black communities are suffering from climate change more than white communities. That’s due to systemic racism that determines where Black people live, work, go to school, and have (or don’t have) easy and affordable access to health care. This climate injustice is the result of redlining. Redlining is the 1930s policy that made sure Black communities were located near highways, industrial sights, and landfills. Redlining continues to contribute to a cycle of poverty. These communities have fewer trees, grassy areas, and parks and more concrete. They’re located next to factories, manufacturing and power plants, and mills. The result is Black neighborhoods that are hotter and more polluted than White neighborhoods. Black children suffer most of all While everyone suffers from climate change, Black children are especially in danger. More than 88% of climate change disease occurs in children younger than 5 years (World Health Organization). Half the world’s children are at an extremely high risk of climate change impact (UNICEF). What does that look like for Black youth in Pittsburgh? As pediatricians, we see the health effects of climate change on children. As a result, we’re dedicated to working with parents, families, and communities to advocate for policy and practice changes that address the climate crisis. During heat waves, for example, there’s an increased risk of death among babies and high school athletes. Both groups can become dehydrated quickly, and often don’t show signs of heat stroke until their conditions become dangerous. Another effect of climate change is asthma. As temperatures rise, the pollen season lasts longer. Air quality gets worse, which makes it harder to breath and often triggers an asthma attack. According to the EPA, Black children, regardless of family income, report higher rates of asthma. These children are 2x as likely to be hospitalized
DR. GABRIEL CISNEROS
DR. MAYA RAGAVAN
with asthma and 4x as likely to die from asthma as white children. As Pittsburgh pediatricians, we’re also treating more Lyme disease. Deer ticks, which thrive in warmer temperatures, aren’t just found in the woods anymore. They’re on the move and causing an increase in serious childhood health problems, such as infections of the brain or joints, and inflammation of the heart. Another concern is climate-related mental health. The effect of climate change on the emotional health of Black children is stressful. Along with systemic racism in all its forms, they experience direct trauma from extreme weather events and natural disasters—and deal with anx-
iety about their future. What do we want our communities to look like? Our climate’s health and our human health are linked, especially for our children. Environmentally, we want for them what every parent, grandparent, or caregiver wants: A safe, beautiful neighborhood full of trees, flowers, and green spaces. A place where they can play and dream and create. How can we make that happen for them? By advocating for climate justice. Climate justice happens when everyone shares the responsibility of climate change equally, including equal protection from its effects. How do we do work for climate justice? First, we admit that climate change is an-
other unequal problem Black people face. Climate change joins a long list of inequities, including excessive police force, education, unemployment, healthcare, and transportation. Climate change is related to these inequities. Dismantling each of them will help to dismantle them all. The big changes that will reduce the effects of climate change must happen on a government scale at the policy level, which can make people who live in underserved neighborhoods feel as if they don’t have a stake in the game. However, they do—we all do—locally at the community level and personally in our outlook and actions. What can you do as a member of the Black community and as a Black citizen concerned about the state of the environment? Vote—Your vote is your voice for climate justice, especially as it impacts children. Public officials at every level of government must be held accountable for their ability to create and maintain policy that fights climate change, improves people’s health, and creates clean energy jobs. Communicate—Contact your Pittsburgh district and Allegheny county representatives and demand they support clean energy.
Visit the City of Pittsburgh website at www.pittsburghpa. gov. On the home page in the top bar, click on “City Hall” then “City Council.” To find your House and Senate representatives visit www.legis.state.pa.us. In the left-hand column of the homepage, choose “Find My Legislator.” There, you can search by typing in your address. Join—Find a local group that inspires you to create beautiful neighborhood spaces through art (murals, for example) or trees and green spaces. One local nature organization is Tree Pittsburgh, an environmental non-profit group that restores and protects the urban forest (think street trees) through tree planting and care, education, advocacy, and land conservation. Use your smart phone to visit www.treepittsburgh.org. Also check out our spotlight on UrbanKind Institute. Demand—Insist that people in power create plans to reduce carbon emissions for corporations, cities, states, and other institutions and systems. Your voice matters! (Dr. Cisneros & Dr. Ragavan are co-chairs of the PA AAP Climate and Environmental Health Committee. Dr. Cisneros serves as cochair of PA AAP Advocacy Committee.)
Cities should be kind places for residents In 2016, the UrbanKind Institute began magnifying the voices of over-burdened and under-resourced Pittsburgh residents. The organization, which calls itself a “think-and-do tank,” is based on equity and social justice through: Community engagement and education Research and policy work Equity-based facilitation Program development and
DR. JAMIL BEY
evaluation Led by Dr. Jamil Bey, President & CEO, UrbanKind Institute has created meaningful programs. Here are just three examples: Black Environment Collective, where leaders of color can respond to Black populations affected by environmental emergencies. Black Futures led by Black youth who are charged with imagining a bright future through the
lenses of culture, community, art, and politics. Young people matter! Trust Trees, which focuses on urban greenspace, including thinking about, growing, and protecting trees in our communities. UrbanKind Institute’s core belief is that cities should be built for people and with people — whose voices and experiences must be central to urban planning, design, and decisions.
Restoring and protecting the urban forest
PHOTO COURTESY OF TREE PITTSBURGH
Founded in Pittsburgh in 2006, Tree Pittsburgh grows, plants, and cares for trees in areas of our city that suffer from the lack of a tree canopy. A tree canopy occurs when trees, planted in the same area, grow tall and wide. The trees form a heat barrier of leaves and branches that offer residents cooling shade and beauty. This work, done with great intention, is one way Tree Pittsburgh contributes to the broader movement for equity and justice. Why the focus on city trees? A study by Vibrant Cities Lab has shown that the lack of trees in an area relates to
poor academic performance, more crime, serious health issues, and more deaths due to poor air quality and extreme heat. Residents of these treeless neighborhoods are more vulnerable to sickness and disease. Tree Pittsburgh has created a master plan for protecting and improving the city’s urban forest. The plan includes community tree care neighborhood events where residents can work with Tree Pittsburgh to plant and care for trees. Learn more. Visit treepittsburgh.org.
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Pittsburgh Job Corps now recruiting students ages 16-24; provides variety of services by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program is looking to get back to its pre-pandemic levels, with a recruitment drive for its Pittsburgh location. The Pittsburgh Job Corps, located off Washington Boulevard in Lincoln-Lemington, provides free career training for low-income students ages 16-24. “This is a great opportunity for young Pennsylvanians who are trying to leverage a strong job market,” said National Director of Job Corps Rachel Torres, in a statement. “We are a gateway to skills, credentials and opportunity. Our students need Job Corps, and the workforce needs our students.”
The Pittsburgh Job Corps offers career skills training in high-growth industry sectors, including Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive and Machine Repair, Construction, Finance and Business, Health Care, Homeland Security, Hospitality, Information Technology, Renewable Resources and Energy, and Transportation. Job Corps is free for people from low-income households who meet the eligibility requirements, and students can apply and enroll at any time. Job Corps provides hands-on career skills training, on-campus housing, meals, health care and job search assistance. Applicants may qualify if they receive SNAP, TANF, or free or reduced school lunch, or if they are experiencing homelessness or are a foster youth. Job Corps is the largest
nationwide residential career training program in the country and has been operating for more than 50 years. Students have access to room and board while they learn skills in specific training areas for up to three years. In addition to helping students complete their education, obtain career technical skills and gain employment, Job Corps also provides transitional support services, such as help finding employment, housing, child care, and transportation. Job Corps graduates either enter the workforce or an apprenticeship, go on to higher education, or join the military. Ariel Cypher, outreach and admissions manager for Pittsburgh Job Corps, said in a release obtained by the Courier that some of the employers Job Corps students are connected
with include; Giant Eagle, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66, Mosites Construction, Beech Construction Inc, Southwestern Veterans Center, Allegheny Health Network and UPMC. “We are incredibly excited that our campus has reopened and expanded our training opportunities and are eager to bring in deserving young people and help them start their careers,” said Bob Gottschalk, Center Director at the Pittsburgh Job Corps campus, in a statement. “With a long track record of successfully placing our graduates into meaningful careers in the Pittsburgh Tri-State area, we want our community to know that Job Corps is a terrific first option for any interested young person.”
“This is a great opportunity for young Pennsylvanians who are trying to leverage a strong job market. We are a gateway to skills, credentials and opportunity. Our students need Job Corps, and the workforce needs our students.” RACHEL TORRES National Director, Job Corps
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The August Wilson Block Party Party
MUSIC, ART, FELLOWSHIP—All part of the August Wilson Block Party, April 30, in the Hill District. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
IZ’RIELLE REID, 2, ANGIE JARRETT, IMANI GLOVER, ANDRE REID, A’VION REID, 1, FROM THE NORTH SIDE
CHAQUITA BARNETT, SANTONIO BARNETT, HANNAH BARNETT
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ROYALLY FIT IN THE HOUSE... DALANEY JAMES, 4, dancing with the puppet.
DJ BLAKK STEEL
DR. KIMBERLY ELLIS, MAYOR ED GAINEY, PAUL ELLIS
RANDALL TAYLOR, REV. GLENN GRAYSON SR., BILL GENERETT
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RELIGION/METRO
MAY 11-17, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Praise & Worship
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect PEACE whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusreth in Thee.”
ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141
- Isaiah 26:3
Sunday Mass 11 AM
“And the PEACE of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.”
Rev. Thomas J. Burke- Pastor Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsParochial Vicar Rev. David H. TaylorSenior Parochial Vicar. www.sbtmparishpgh.com
- Philippians 4:7
East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800
REV. WALKER SAYS: Do you need PEACE? Ask yourself this question; what am I thinking about?
Worship in person or Online on Facebook/YouTube www.ELPC.church Journey Worship..........8:45am Sanctuary Worship.......11:00 a.m. Taize -Wednesdays.........7:00 p.m.
COURIER’S RICCO J.L. MARTELLO HONORED Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community! For rate information, call 412-4818302, ext. 128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pittsburgh church community. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or email us: religion@newpittsburghcourier. com
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RICCO J.L. MARTELLO WITH HIS NEIGHBOR AS A YOUNGSTER, DORIS LODKEY. MARTELLO HOLDS A PHOTO OF LODKEY’S PARENTS, MR. AND MRS. COOPER. (PHOTOS BY ASHLEY G. WOODSON)
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RICCO J.L. MARTELLO WITH JACKIE DIXON
RICCO J.L. MARTELLO WITH MELVIN HUBBARD EL
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UNSOLVED HOMICIDES Just 31% of city’s homicides in 2022 are solved HOMICIDES FROM A1
Homicide detectives in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and elsewhere will tell you they are committed to solving these and other heinous crimes. This is no TV show, like A&E’s “The First 48.” Even after the first 48 hours are over following a homicide, detectives in this region tirelessly work their homicide cases. Pittsburgh Police reported to the New Pittsburgh Courier on May 10 that of the 27 homicide cases in the city so far in 2022, there is a 31 percent “clearance rate,” meaning a suspect has been apprehend-
NICOLE DAILEY DIED IN 2017.
ed and charged. In 2021, of the city’s 56 homicides, the clearance rate was 55 percent. In 2020, about half of all murders in the U.S. were “cleared,” according to data processed by Princeton University and reported by the Marshall Project. That number has dropped significantly since the early 1980s, when the clearance rate was 70 percent. “We expect clearance rates to rise just like what occurred last year as we are able to work the cases to conclusion and subsequent approval by the DA for warrants,” said Pittsburgh Police Assistant Chief Lonnie Bickerstaff,
in a statement to the Courier, May 10. She heads up Investigations for Major Crimes. “Major Crimes detectives are committed to solving each and every case and finding justice for families. We are thankful to the community for helping us in that effort because we cannot do this alone.” As detectives work cases, vigils and remembrances continue throughout the region. In November 2021, family and friends held a remembrance for Nicole Dailey, who was shot and killed in the summer of 2017 while holding her baby on the North Side. Still, no suspects have been arrested. Dayton Vickers, age 15, was shot and killed in broad daylight on March 30 in Homewood. Hundreds came out to celebrate his life days later at the corner of N. Homewood and Frankstown avenues. No suspects have been arrested. And for the family of Gathers, it’s a feeling no family should ever have to endure. “My baby girl, she was loved by a lot of people,” Gathers’ mother, Latoya Gathers, said during a press conference at Allegheny County Police headquarters, March 25. “The person killed my baby in front of her 7-yearold daughter, in front of my grandbaby. If anyone knows anything, what happened to her, you should say something. It’s been too long for my daughter to
ZAVIAWNA GATHERS DIED IN 2021. be in the grave and I don’t know why. She was only 26 years old. She didn’t deserve this at all.” Standing by the family’s side was Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who is the uncle of Zaviawna Gathers. “I always say that it’s about us as a community; that if we’re really going to make our community safe, it’s about how we stand up for the community. It’s about how we stand up and talk
about what’s going on. We have to stand together.” Mayor Gainey said that more people are beginning to talk about those responsible for the homicides in Pittsburgh’s Black communities, but that momentum must continue. “I’m here to talk about my niece, but let me say this—to anybody out there that has lost a loved one, and you know that loved one is going through some-
thing, and you know something that would help the case...tell somebody. Talk about it. Continue to stand as a community. Together we can solve this. Together we can help one another. That’s the only way we’re going to stop what’s going on today.”
A12 MAY 11-17, 2022
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
BUSINESS New Pittsburgh Courier
BIPOC: Empowering the marginalized? J. Pharoah Doss Page B4
MAY 11-17, 2022
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PROPERTY IS POWER Understanding your debt-to-income ratio If you are looking for a home, you might need to finance it using a lender, such as a bank, credit union or a mortgage broker. There are a number of factors that will influence whether your mortgage application is approved. Then, these same factors will play a role in the terms the lender might offer you. One of the most important factors is called the debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. It is important to understand how this will impact your mortgage application. What is a Debt-to-Income Ratio? Your DTI is important to the lender because this allows the lender to figure out the likelihood of you paying your mortgage on time. The less debt you have, the more financial stability you have to pay a potential mortgage. To calculate your debtto-income ratio, you need to calculate all the bills you have for the upcoming month. For example, if you have rent and a car payment, you add these numbers together. The, you divide this number by your gross monthly income. If you rent is $900 and your car payment $200, your total debt is $1100. Then, if you earn $3300, divide $1100 by $3300. This is about 33 percent. Student Loan Debt Is a Driving Factor With many members of the younger generation getting ready to purchase a house, it is important to
understand the impact of student loan payments. Because a lot of potential home borrowers have student loans to pay back, their debt-to-income ratios will be significantly higher. This could make it harder for younger borrowers to get qualified for a mortgage, particularly one with favorable terms. How to Improve Your
EVERY BLACK FAMILY should have a goal of owning land, buying gold, and getting involved and invested in cryptocurrency.
Building financial security in my 70s Wisdom from entrepreneur and author Dr. George C. Fraser ANTHONY O. KELLUM
Mortgage Application Before you apply for a home loan, you should try to improve your debtto-income ratio by paying down your existing bills. For example, if you have credit card debt, this will be included in your debtto-income ratio. Try to pay this down or off before you apply for a mortgage. You should try to pay down your loans as much as possible before applying for a mortgage as well. The less debt you carry, the more likely your mortgage application will be approved. (Anthony O. Kellum is President of Kellum Mortgage, LLC.)
by Word In Black We all have different ideas about what financial security looks like. For some of us, it’s owning a luxury car and having disposable income. For others of us, it’s having enough money saved up in case of an unforeseeable circumstance. We’re all capable of building financial security at any age. Dr. George C. Fraser began his journey toward understanding the value of financial stability more than forty years ago. Now, at age 76, the Cleveland-based entrepreneur and author of Success Runs in Our Race: The Complete Guide to Effective Networking
in the Black Community shares insight about building wealth for the long haul—even in the midst of uncertain times. How do you define financial security? An adequate amount of assets to live a comfortable life for you and your family till death do you part— plus to leave some assets to your children. Basically, assets have to be converted to cash, whether it’s cryptocurrency, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. You save and invest first, and then you spend. That is a fundamental philosophy of building assets. Has this always been DR. GEORGE C. FRASER
SEE FINANCIAL SECURITY B2
If you’re a proponent of ‘Infinite Banking,’ you’re Infinitely Gullible! Approximately one year ago, while on social media, a friend of mine mentioned something on my Facebook page about Infinite Banking. At the time I’d never heard of the term Infinite Banking. However, I’d been working in banking and personal finance long enough to know that the words Infinite and Banking mentioned together sounded like a hoax. When it comes to banking, nothing is infinite! Every product they offer has a maturity date and a ceiling. I did some research, confirmed my suspicion, and forgot about it. No one was coming to me inquiring about Infinite Banking. As a result, I didn’t feel the need to address Infinite Banking until recently. Infinite Banking recently came up on my Facebook Page for the second time. There was one person in particular who swore by Infinite Banking. As he explained Infinite Banking, people began to inquire and endorse this product. It was then I decided to chime in. It was then I decided, I’ll write about Infinite Banking. Spoiler alert! I think this product is TRASH! What is Infinite Banking? In short it’s a marketing ploy targeting the borrowing component of a cash value type of life insurance policy. Important to note: Borrowing from a cash value life insurance policy is nothing new. It’s always been an option. Giving it a name such as Infinite Banking, Bank on Yourself, or Lifetime Economic Acceleration Process makes it more sexy, appears to be more sophisticated, and makes it more marketable. Guess what? People are drinking the Kool Aid! Keep drinking this Kool Aid, I promise you this—it will eventually leave a sour taste in your mouth! Here’s the pitch: Get a Whole Life Insurance Policy instead of a Term Insurance Policy. Term is finite. It has an expiration date whereas Whole Life is
permanent. In addition, with a Whole Life policy, you can build up a cash value. Herein lies the so-called benefit, the sophisticated loophole that allows Infinite Banking. Instead of borrowing money from a Bank for emergencies, large purchases, vacation, cars, college, or a house —you can use the cash value as collateral for a loan and borrow from yourself. No credit check! Low interest rate! You don’t have to pay the loan back if you don’t want to! No taxes! Allow me to address these benefits: Term Life Vs Whole Life. I wrote an article a while ago titled Dropping the DIME on Life Insurance. Google it for more detail on these two types of insurance. I’ll suffice it to say. Term is WAY cheaper than Whole Life. Thus it affords people to get sufficient life insurance coverage. Most people with Life Insurance are under insured. Those with Whole Life Insurance are grossly underinsured because the premium is TOO HIGH! 80 percent of all Life Insurance Policies that are sold are Whole Life because the Insurance Agent and Insurance Company makes more money on it than they do on Term Insurance. You’d think what’s in the best interest of the consumer was the primary driver, not what makes the most money for the Company. Lastly, 80 percent of Whole Life Insurance policies that are sold are surrendered prior to death. Why? Either they couldn’t afford the HIGH premium payments (lapse) or they finally saw the light. Safe to say, Whole Life isn’t as permanent as they make it out to be and the banking surely isn’t infinite.
Low Interest Rate and No Taxes: I guess that’s a relative statement. What does one consider low? If you were to compare interest rates on student loans, car loans, mortgages, personal loans, loans against insurance policies (Infinite Banking) and credit cards. Loans against Insurance Policies comes second to last. The interest rates on these loans average between 8-11 percent. The only interest rate that is higher is credit cards. The interest you pay on the Cash Value Loan goes to the insurance company. I thought the concept was banking on yourself? Then why aren’t you paying Yourself the interest? I know what you’re thinking, you get dividends or a percentage of the company’s profit every year. I’m willing to bet the dividends aren’t 8-11 percent which would make it a wash or a zero interest loan. So if dividends are 5 percent, you’re still paying 3-6 percent in interest after factoring in dividends paid to you. The insurance company is making money on the margin between the dividends and the interest rate, not the policyholder. That makes the insurance company the Banker. That makes the policyholder the Infinite Borrower, not the Infinite Banker. That’s not even the worst part. The insurance company that primarily offers this product is Mutual Insurance companies, meaning the policyholders have an ownership interest in the company. Dividends are profit paid to the shareholders. In order for the Company to earn a profit, they have to overcharge you, the policyholder (client) to pay dividends to you, The policyholder (owner). The dividends
are essentially an overpayment of premiums. That’s one of the reasons there’s no taxes. The other reason there’s no taxes is because the cash value seldom ever exceeds the premium paid for the policy. Let that sink in! If the cash value doesn’t exceed the premiums paid on the policy that means you got zero returns on your money. You don’t have to pay the loan back: That is not a true statement. You will pay the loan back either while you’re living or when you die. You’re not required to make monthly payments but the interest continues to accrue. If you die before the loan is paid back with interest, it’s deducted from the Insurance Face Amount that was designated to be given to your beneficiaries. The true reason for life insurance is for your beneficiaries not you. It only pays out upon your death. By leaving the insurance policy with an outstanding loan, you in effect left your beneficiaries less money. How much can you borrow from your life insurance policy? It varies from company to company with the maximum allowed to be borrowed by any company is 90 percent of the cash value. Meaning if your cash value was $10,000, one could borrow up to $9,000. Bear in mind all loans borrowed against the cash value will be capped at 90 percent. In order to borrow more money after reaching the 90 percent threshold, you’d either have to pay down or hope the value in your account increases. That doesn’t sound so infinite, does it? Space will not allow me to compare how bad the investment returns are inside of a cash value policy when compared to investment returns in the open market but I think I made my point.
(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached @ 412-216-1013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach.com)
BUSINESS
B2 MAY 11-17, 2022
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
CFPB sues TransUnion on credit reporting violations Although debt collection has been a long-time leading issue reported to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), during the COVID-19 pandemic, another issue emerged as the na-
credit scores, are far more likely than other consumers to have disputes appear on their credit reports. Testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on April 27, Ro-
Charlene Crowell
Commentary tion’s number one consumer concern: credit reporting. Of the more than 800,000 credit or consumer reporting complaints that CFPB received in its most recent reporting period, more than 700,000 were submitted about one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Further, consumers in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods, as well as younger consumers and those with low
hit Chopra, CFPB Director, summarized the agency’s findings, recent actions, and its new direction. “In my first six months as Director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has refocused its efforts to align with the objectives that Congress set out for the agency,” said Chopra. “The CFPB is shifting enforcement resources away from investigating small firms and instead focusing on repeat offenders and large
players engaged in largescale harm…I expect that this may lead to more litigation, but also lend greater legitimacy to agency actions.” In complaints to the CFPB, consumers described difficulties trying to correct incomplete or inaccurate information appearing on their credit reports. Many consumers were particularly frustrated with automated systems that left them unable to have their problem addressed or resolved. As a result, many consumers felt
their time, energy and money were wasted in trying to correct their reports. In a related action on April 12, CFPB sued TransUnion and its CEO with charges of multiple violations, including: • Ignoring the agency’s 2017 enforcement order, and instead continuing to engage in deceptive conduct in both its marketing and sales; • Cheating consumers in the sale of its products, services, and subscriptions; and • Deceiving consumers
Building financial security in my 70s FINANCIAL SECURITY FROM B1
your definition of financial security? Certainly at 76, it changes. The first, let’s say, five to six passages (each passage is about ten years) is about developing skills, finding one’s purpose (that which is going to bring you the greatest degree of satisfaction), then monetizing that so you’re doing work that you love so it’s really not work. And then particularly managing and investing those assets for leverage to increase them in value to sustain your life when you’re working, obviously, and beyond that. For me, retiring simply means doing the work that I love. Do you consider yourself retired right now? No. I probably wouldn’t. Today, I don’t think if you love what you do, you have to stop working. Some of the greatest achievers to have ever lived worked until they died: Frank Lloyd Wright,
the great American architect, built his magnum opus —the Guggenheim Museum on 54th & 7th Avenue in New York City—he completed it when he was 91. How has COVID-19 affected your view of financial security? God has an interesting way of sending us to war because when we are at war, we get creative. I was in the business of putting on events for 40 years. I went from deep six figures to zero. Of course, I had savings and assets and all that kind of stuff, but you try not to deplete that. The first thing is to get back to making a living. That’s Step One. I had to reinvent my livelihood by doing the things that I know how to do and love to do like speaking and putting on events. For the two years that I couldn’t have my Big Power Networking Conference, I did it virtually; won all kinds of awards. It forced me to think outside of the box. It forced me to learn new skills. Step
Two: You get back to building excess assets to make new investments. What’s the other big thing that happened during the pandemic? The mass adoption of cryptocurrency, which will have a seismic impact on the economic system of the world in five or ten years. What do you wish more African Americans understood about building and managing wealth? Every Black family should have a goal of owning land, buying gold, and getting involved and invested in cryptocurrency. You should have life insurance. You should have a limited liability corporation—an LLC—because of the tax advantages. You should have an investment account. You should have stocks, a trust, an established will, and produce a product. If I have to write a list, what every Black family will have in the future, it would be those things. Is being a subject-matter-expert helpful for
wealth-building? You have to be a 360-degree person. Specialization is for insects. You just cannot exclusively and only be a specialist. You have to interact with people, to talk with people. You have to solve problems. You have to think. Critical thinking is critical. Relationships are assets, too. Relationships can be an asset and then relationships can be monetized, as well. You can’t do anything of significance on your own by yourself in a vacuum. What are your financial rules for financial freedom? Simple little rules: 1. Your rent or your mortgage should be less than what you make in a week. That’s rule number one. 2. Only borrow money to make more money. 3. As your income increases, your cost of living should decrease or stay the same. In other words, live below your means and invest the rest.
through its digital dark patterns. The lawsuit seeks monetary relief for consumers, such as restitution or return of funds, disgorgement or compensation for unjust gains, injunctive relief, and civil money penalties. The new charges stem from a January 2017 settlement that CFPB reached with TransUnion that included its subsidiaries, board of directors, and executive officers. Part of that settlement required TransUnion to pay $13.9 million in restitution to victims and $3 million in civil penalties for deceptively marketing credit scores and credit-related products, including credit monitoring services. TransUnion and its subsidiaries also agreed to a formal enforcement order that, among other things, required the credit bureau to warn consumers that lenders are not likely to use the scores they are supplying, to obtain the express informed consent of customers for recurring payments for subscription products or services, and to provide an easy way for people to cancel subscriptions. Despite this settlement, by May 2019, CFPB examiners informed TransUnion that it was still violating multiple requirements of the order. In these instances, companies typically work constructively with the CFPB to make quick fixes and come into compliance. But TransUnion’s failure to honor the order resulted in a follow-up notice to the credit agency in June 2020. “TransUnion is an out-ofcontrol repeat offender that believes it is above the law,” Chopra said on April 12, the day of the legal action. “I am concerned that TransUnion’s leadership is either unwilling or incapable of operating its businesses lawfully.” For 2021, TransUnion re-
ported revenues of $3 billion from the information it gathers on 200 million consumers. That same year, CFPB received 150,000 complaints about the firm. In November 2021, CFPB issued an advisory opinion affirming that all consumer reporting agencies, including tenant and employment screening companies, had an obligation to use reasonable procedures and practices to be accurate in their findings. Since its 2011creation, CFPB has utilized its investigative efforts to uncover illegal conduct in the financial marketplace, such as discriminatory and predatory products and services. It also has brought over $13.6 billion in monetary compensation, principal reductions, cancelled debts and other consumer relief through its enforcement and supervisory work, earning the moniker as the consumers’ ‘financial cop on the beat.’ The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) said CFPB’s return to its original mission is a welcome development. “Director Chopra’s actions to protect consumers from predatory financial practices deserve praise, not criticism, from Congress,” said Mike Calhoun, president of CRL. “American families need protections from abusive financial practices, and Director Chopra’s commonsense requests for information on bank mergers and on junk fees, such as overdraft fees, are appropriate steps to gather the data so that these protections can be carefully crafted.” Chopra’s efforts also drew praise from Rep. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee. “Under your leadership, I’m pleased that the CFPB is finally back on track,” said Chairwoman Waters . “I commend your recent efforts to crack down on large financial firms that repeatedly break the law and harm individual consumers and working families. The practice of slapping a fine on a recidivist corporation while they rake in large profits should not be tolerated anymore; there must be serious consequences and structural reforms to prevent these kinds of repeat offenses.”
(Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)
OPINION
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Our Primary Election Endorsements What can $1.8 million buy you? According to numerous local reports, that’s what the “Super Political Action Committee” United Democracy Project has spent in attack ads on TV, direct mail, online and, if they could, at your home dinner table, to show Rep. Summer Lee as a person unfit for Congress over the past three weeks. But the New Pittsburgh Courier knows better and, we believe, so does the Black community. Representative Lee was introduced to us back in 2018, and she went on to upend a well-known politician to win the race for state House District 34. Since then, she has tirelessly fought for the betterment of all people, not just African Americans, in her fight for laws protecting citizens from unjust police actions, among others. Representative Lee has unwavering confidence in herself to fight for what’s right, express it fearlessly, while at the same time, sitting back and calmly listening to her constituents’ concerns. Now that longtime Congressman Mike Doyle has called it a career, it’s time for someone like Summer Lee to represent us in the U.S. Congress. In this pivotal May 17 Primary Election, the Courier urges you to make your voice heard through your vote. The Courier endorses Rep. Summer Lee for the 12th District. We will also be voting for Rep. Austin Davis, of Mon Valley fame, for Lieutenant Governor. He would become the first Black Lt. Gov. in the state’s history. We’re also voting for the man who has endorsed him, Josh Shapiro, himself running for Pa. Governor. We believe those two would make a great tandem in Harrisburg. In the state House races, we believe Martell Covington has established himself as the best candidate for Ed Gainey’s former 24th District. Covington, who already is the state Representative due to April’s special election, has worked in the Homewood and Lincoln-Lemington communities for more than a decade, and was a legislative aide to state Sen. Jay Costa. He’s at the perfect time in his career to serve in the state House for the foreseeable future. In House District 19, Rep. Aerion Abney won a special election in April. This time, however, he’s up against another African American with strong community ties—Rev. Glenn Grayson Sr., pastor of Wesley Center AME Zion Church. The Courier has profiled both candidates, and we believe either candidate would be a good choice to replace Jake Wheatley in the Hill District, North Side and South Side Hilltop. African Americans are truly invested in our region’s politics. Do your part, as well, and get invested in them, so that people who look like and understand you can represent you in elected office.
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate
John Fetterman Pennsylvania Governor
Josh Shapiro Pennsylvania Lt. Governor
Austin Davis Pennsylvania U.S. Representative District 12
Summer Lee Pennsylvania State Representative District 19
Glenn C. Grayson or Aerion Andrew Abney Pennsylvania State Representative District 24
Martell Covington
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The Others (TriceEdneyWire.com)—For years I have had the privilege of conducting human relations training. Critics consider “training” more of a chore than a privilege, but I’ve always opened myself to learning. I have almost learned as much about human nature as I have taught. Of the lessons I’ve learned, one of the best is: To modify the behaviors of those resistant to progressive change, the “better” messengers are those with whom the ‘resister’ can identify. It’s always easier to reject those who can be marginalized as “different” than to reject a “mirror image” that possesses perceived commonalities. From the rather benign epithet “Redcoat” during the Revolutionary War, to “Kraut” or “Jap” of World War Two, the “Gook” of Viet Nam, or the “Sand Nigger” of our recent Middle East wars, the exploitation of difference and fear (demonization) has been used to justify and solidify our hatred of the enemy. The exploitation of difference and fear (a similar demonization) is at the heart of our nation’s current “Culture Wars.” Rather than respect for diversity in thought and conduct, anyone daring to emerge from the rigid parameters of Conservatism-Trumpism becomes deserving of verbal disparagement and possible physical attack. Even when there is more in common than in difference, some will gladly promote lies to create a justification for hatred of the perceived enemy. There are those who would divide our nation upon perceived differences or to pervert our historical and/or con-
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
Commentary temporary relationships to acquire or retain power. Instead of seeking the commonalities which define our collective humanity, there is an element in society that revels in misrepresenting the motives of others. Increasingly, we see this in the behavior of Republican leaders or fans of the twice impeached ex-president. Following the “Orange Dotard” and his horde of virulent bigots, thousands have accepted hatred and discrimination against “The Others.” It is no accident that women are summarily denied the right to make medical decisions for themselves. State governments are jumping in line to criminalize the reproductive rights of women. The demonstrated mindset of the US Supreme Court foreshadows an impending decision overturning the legal precedence of Roe v. Wade. Women wishing to assert reproductive autonomy have become a part of The Others. Members of the LGBTQ community are also objects of ill-will and disparagement by the “right-thinkers.” Florida’s DeSantis has criminalized discussion of their lifestyle and has retaliated against
the largest employer in the state for rejecting his institutionalization of discrimination. From DeSantis in Florida to Youngkin in Virginia, if you are African American, you stand on the verge of historical extinction. Because it is labeled CRT, any account of your history which brings discomfort to the listener is banned. The accurate discussion of your history is threatened because you are one of The Others. Not surprisingly, Florida has banned fifty-four math books for “prohibited topics!” Even if you are not one of The Others, like Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, liars can attempt to make you one. McMorrow was labeled as an LGBTQ “groomer” and a proponent of CRT by a Republican opponent. These labels were designed to discredit her by converting her into one of The Others. She reacted with a spirited response rejecting the hatred intended by the dishonest labeling. While her political opponents were fundraising on their lies, she identified herself as White, straight, Christian, and a mom. She asserts that more people need to speak out against the lies which create the divisions. Profoundly, McMorrow says that hate cannot succeed unless we allow it to. She accurately states, “These are wars over power!”
(Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. is a minister, a UN Peace Ambassador, President of the Dick Gregory Society, author of “Dick Gregory: Wake Up and Stay Woke,” and Host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-FM-89.3 radio. )
Pay attention to Roe v. Wade and the far right’s extreme plans (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Things are about to get worse for millions of vulnerable people in our country. It looks like the far right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is getting ready to reverse Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old ruling that recognized a pregnant person’s right to have an abortion. Abortion is legal today, but pretty soon that will no longer be the case in most of the country. A leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling expected to be released in June indicates that the Court will rule that there is no constitutional protection for abortion. Bans will go into effect in many states immediately, and others will follow soon. That will leave millions of women and LGBTQ people—and their spouses and partners—less free and less in control of their own health, lives, and families. Like many laws and policy decisions handed down from on high, the harm will fall hardest on those with the fewest resources and political power—people of color and low-income people. It is hard to take. How did this happen? In the long term, it happened because opponents on the right to choose spent decades building a movement to make it happen. They invested time and money to elect like-minded politicians. They pushed Republican presidents to fill federal courts with judges who were willing, if not eager, to restrict or ban legal access to abortion. They made it a top priority when deciding whether and how to vote. In the short term, it happened because
Ben Jealous
Commentary Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. To energize the Republican Party’s ideological base, Trump promised them judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade. They took the deal Trump offered. They turned out to vote. And with help from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Trump gave them the kind of judges they wanted. And now that they have the power to impose their will, Americans’ freedom will shrink and American families will suffer. In fact, many are already suffering. Anti-choice activists have harassed and sometimes killed abortion providers. Judges have been letting state legislators pile on more and more restrictions on abortion care. As a result, in some states, the right to abortion care may exist in theory, but in reality, it is virtually nonexistent, because clinics and providers have disappeared. There are hard times and hard decisions ahead. There are also lessons to be learned and acted on. One important lesson is that the Supreme Court has a big impact on our lives, even though most of us don’t think about it in the day to day. We should all
pay more attention. We should pay attention when the far right tells us what they plan to do with their political power. They have been loud and clear about their intent to overturn Roe v. Wade. But many Americans refused to believe that the threat to Roe v. Wade was real. They just could not imagine a 21st Century America in which women and doctors are treated like criminals for seeking or providing abortion care. We no longer need to imagine that kind of scenario. We’re about to live it. And that’s why we also have to pay attention to the consequences of our voting behavior. For the most part, the judges who are letting states eliminate access to abortion are the same judges letting states limit voters’ access to the ballot box. They’re the same judges who restrict the government’s ability to regulate harmful corporate behavior. Many of them are the same judges who tried to deny millions of Americans access to health care provided by the Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court justices and other federal judges who are put in place by the president and U.S. Senate have jobs for life. That means we are stuck with Trump’s judges for many years to come. And that means we all need to think long and hard about who we vote for— and about ever passing up the opportunity to vote.
(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.)
Celebrate women who shaped racial justice By Marc H. Morial (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“We’ve had to believe in something beyond what was readily available to us. We were always aware of our dignity, always aware of our worth, always aware of those things for our children and our community. We couldn’t just accept what we were being told. So we push the country forward until they see things the way we do. It’s a political moment when you become a Black mother. There is something very politicizing about not only fighting for your own life, but for a life you hold dearer than your own.” -- Anna Malaika Tubbs It’s always a blessing when my duties as President and CEO of the National Urban League take me to my hometown of New Orleans, as happened this week with a milestone celebration of one of our economic empowerment initiatives, and a professional development conference for our hard-working affiliate CEOS. And the greatest blessing of being at home is spending time with my mother, Sybil Haydel Morial, an educator and civil rights activist who has shaped not only the lives of my siblings and myself, but of countless others—not only in New Orleans, but across the nation. It was my privilege on this trip to accompany my mother to dinner at the legendary Dookie Chase’s restaurant. There, we were joined by three other children of the movement: Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne, whose own mothers and fathers, along with the parents of Ruby Bridges, made the unimaginably courageous decision to
desegregate New Orleans public schools in 1960. It was a stark reminder, just in time for Mother’s Day, of the role that my mother and the other women of her generation have played in the ongoing struggle for racial justice. Born 67 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, my mother was the great-granddaughter of Victor Haydel, who was enslaved on the Whitney Plantation, in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. As the daughter of a Black physician growing up under American apartheid, my mother experienced a childhood that was uniquely privileged and oppressed. For example, she and her sister Jean frequently accompanied their mother to opera performances at the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium in the 1940s. But what she remembers most about those outings is not the beautiful music and costumes but the 103 steps they had to climb to the colored section of the auditorium. “When we reached the top, we bent over in exhaustion,” she wrote. “Mother paused at every landing, and when she reached the top, she, too, was crippled from exhaustion—and anger, which faded only when the opera began.” She began her teaching career in Newton, Massachusetts, intending to earn her master’s degree at Boston University where she had completed her undergraduate studies. But in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
“We talked about leaving the freedom of the North to return home and become involved in the changes,” she wrote. “I don’t think any of us knew exactly what that would entail, but we were determined. A large wall that had surrounded us all of our lives now had a good-sized chink in it, and we could envision it, like the walls of Jericho, tumbling down.” In 1955, while my father, Ernest “Dutch” Morial, completed his military service at Holabird in Maryland, my mother was one of the first Black teachers assigned to integrate the faculty of Maryland’s public schools. Upon their return to New Orleans, my parents became deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. As someone who had been turned away from registering to vote because she “failed” the test of identifying her own eye color, my mother devoted herself to preparing other Black citizens to register. It is humbling, and often terrifying, to recall the extraordinary challenges my mother faced—from dismissal from her teaching job due to her membership in the NAACP and the Urban League to actual death threats. On this Mother’s Day, I celebrate her courage and thank the other mothers who have shaped the direction of racial justice and equality—from Leah Chase, whose restaurant was a safe haven for civil rights workers like my parents … to my wife Michelle Miller, whose work as a journalist has earned numerous awards … to the many women of excellence who lead our Urban League affiliates throughout the country.
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Black workers helped create the Amazon Labor Union (TriceEdneyWire.com)—To say the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the future of our nation’s economy is a major understatement. While the United States is finally “out of the full-blown explosive pandemic phase,” according to Anthony Fauci, the two years of suffering and hardship showed Americans and the rest of the world what the United States stands for as a nation. For many of us, the pandemic is a health crisis that exposed our political, class, and racial divisions and offers us a greater understanding and acceptance of the term “essential worker.” While everyone may have some degree of risk from COVID-19, the risk is not shared equally. Frontline essential workers are employees who must report to job sites where they face the increased risk of contracting, spreading, and dying from COVID-19. In other words, working from home is not an option. These are typically jobs associated with public transportation, food and beverage service industries, grocery store workers, security, healthcare, the warehousing industry, and more. These low-wage service workers were vital in providing critical services that allowed our communities to remain functional during pandemic shutdowns. They are undervalued, underappreciated, and overrepresented by Black and Hispanic workers. A recent report released by the Urban Institute notes that based on data from 2018, representing 152.7 million workers, 31 percent of Hispanic workers and 33 percent of Black workers were in essential jobs that required them to work in person and in close proximity to other workers. By contrast, 26 percent of White workers had similar jobs. For many of us, the events from the last two years changed how we do things personally and professionally through the virtual and online options we now possess. The height of the pandemic pushed many Americans to redirect their shopping and buying habits from the traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online purchasing. While the movement toward e-commerce was well underway before COVID-19, the pandemic significantly accelerated the shift. Even with the nation entering a more controlled phase of the pandemic, the future for U.S. retailers will continue to see an increase in online purchasing and further contraction of the department store industry. As we become a society dependent on online shopping, the need for a reliable system for the nationwide distribution of products comes with it. This will require a network of frontline workers who are not only “essential” during a major health crisis but whose productivity will always be “essential” in keeping up with the increased demands from e-commerce. The work of a person’s hands has value, and that value should always be recognized, appreciated, protected, and rightfully compensated, which was why the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) was formed. While the pandemic may have illustrated to
David W. Marshall
Commentary the public the true value of the working class, it also empowered more workers to demand better treatment and safety protection. One of those workers was Chris Smalls. The fired Amazon worker and former rapper accomplished something that has never occurred in the history of Amazon. Smalls, joined by his best friend, Derrick Palmer, launched an independent worker-led organization that took on one of America’s most powerful companies—and won. Workers at Amazon’s JFK8 in Staten Island, New York, decisively voted to join the newly formed Amazon Labor Union (ALU). Smalls’ wrongful termination triggered the drive to unionize for allegedly breaking safety guidelines when he organized a protest over what workers claim were inadequate COVID-19 protection measures. It is not only a historic victory for a grassroots movement led by Black workers, but it represents a significant victory for the future of the American labor movement. “At the end of the day, having workers organize the workers, I feel like that was really the game-changer because I don’t think Amazon ever expected that to happen,” says Derrick Palmer, the vice president for ALU and a worker at the JFK8 warehouse. After seeing how the death of George Floyd triggered the passions and energy behind the fight for police accountability, we can only hope that “the greatest worker health crisis in recent history” will ignite similar passions in a renewed battle for worker rights. Workers from more than 100 Amazon warehouses throughout the United States have already contacted ALU for help in organizing their facilities, Smalls said, as have workers from Walmart, Target, and Dollar General. The momentum may be picking up with several Starbuck stores having already voted to unionize. While the ALU victory is still fresh, union leaders understand the challenges lying ahead and are preparing for the “real fight,” winning a collective bargaining agreement against the second-largest private employer in the nation. The ALU has already achieved the impossible; why stop now? (David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidwmarshallauthor.com.)
BIPOC: Empowering the marginalized? Last week, I mentioned a press conference in 1988 when Rev. Jesse Jackson stated “Black” no longer describes “our” situation in America. What did he mean? I explained the historical identity-Negro-was imposed by White supremacy. The term was synonymous with second-class citizenship and inferiority. This led to double-consciousness, the notion it was impossible to be both a Negro and an American, which produced an inferiority complex that ingrained a negative self-image inside the Negro population. During the 1960s, “Negro” was abandoned for the term “Black”. Black communities promoted “Black pride”. However, dropping the Spanish word for Black to embrace its English counterpart didn’t change the fact that it was a term of White supremacy. “Black pride” may have eliminated the inferiority complex, but it didn’t solve the problem of double-consciousness. When Jackson said “Black no longer describes our situation in America”, he meant that after the victories of the Civil Rights Movement, Black people were no longer second-class citizens. Jackson announced Black Americans should drop the adjective “Black”, replace it with “African”, and officially be known as African Americans. The term was meant to destroy double-consciousness and describe a home-grown ethnicity that descended from Africa and was fully American. In the 1990s, the same self-determining spirit decided that labeling an ethnic group as a “minority” was unacceptable. Obviously, a minority was less than the majority, but it established a hierarchy with Whites at the top and racial minorities at the bottom.
J. Pharoah Doss
Check It Out This terminology implied that social problems were minor if they affected minorities, but major if they affected the majority. To flatten the hierarchy, the term “minority” was replaced with “people of color” or POC. Suddenly, in the 21st century, the term African American fell out of favor. Many prominent Black people told the media the term “Black” better-described immigrants from Africa, while others preferred the term “Black” because they weren’t from the continent. There’s a consensus among linguists that changes in terminology have long been a tool in shaping social perceptions of identity, and linguist John McWhorter even stated it’s time to let go of the term “African American” and go back to “Black”. But two different concepts of “Black identity” came out of the twentieth century. “Black” can designate membership to an ethnic group in a multicultural society, or “Black” is an oppressed racial identity in a society where White supremacy is the norm. If “African American”, the term that destroyed double-consciousness, is “let go” to go back to “Black”, which concept of “Black” is returning? Hues, a quarterly magazine featuring diverse authors, revealed part of the answer
in a headline that demanded its readers to Stop Saying Minority & POC. Switch to BIPOC. The magazine explained BIPOC is a new term that stands for “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.” It’s a replacement for the antiquated term “minorities” and a more specific form of the acronym POC. Obviously, the next question is, why were “Black” and “indigenous” singled out and separated from all the other people of color? Hues said the purpose was to empower racial and ethnic groups rather than marginalize them. That leads to another question: how are Blacks and indigenous people marginalized from other people of color? A lot of POCs like Nigerians, Indians, Filipinos, and Lebanese are more affluent than White Americans. The success of these specific groups indicates that America is a multicultural society that has progressed beyond its prejudiced past, but these success stories conflict with the worldview that America is an oppressive, White supremacist society. For holders of the oppressor/ oppressed worldview, the oppressed status of Black America becomes invisible when incorporated with affluent people of color. Therefore, the term POC erases “Black suffering”. The academics and activists that championed the change from POC to BIPOC stated the point was to “emphasize the severity of racial injustice on Black and indigenous people.” In 1988 Rev. Jackson was right when he argued that “Black” didn’t describe “our” situation in America, and the B in BIPOC doesn’t describe our position in the 21st century either.
The crisis of Black Power, morality, illegal drugs and narcoviolence, Part II The crisis of drugs and violence is a moral crisis. But Black people have never had the collective power to implement their moral indignation as public policy in the Black community. At the very least, they would have dispersed the rampant outdoor drug markets in their neighborhoods. These open markets with their turf wars, drive-by shootings, street drug robberies, and other outdoor crimes account for much of the disparity between drug related violence in Black and White communities. Thus far, the Pittsburgh police have, despite ever increasing supply-demand pressure, been able to contain much of the city’s white retail drug trade indoors. Fifty-odd years ago, the city pushed, without wanton police brutality, the drug market off Walnut Street in the predominately White, middle income Shadyside neighborhood. It flourished during the 1960s Hippy Movement. Walnut is, without question, Pittsburgh’s largest outdoor open drug market in living memory. Years later, the November 21-27, 1984 edition of In Pittsburgh described Walnut. “Hundreds of people” crowded the street where “Syringes and junkies laid side by side.” “The addicts need for drug money led to an increase in purse snatchings and muggings along Walnut Street.” One resident said “You never walked home between two and three (a.m.) there was too much violence then,” A city policeman added, “If you wanted narcotics, Shadyside was where you got them.” During this same period, the block clubs of the Homewood Brushton Community Improvement Association (HBCIA) documented on file cards the dates, times, locations, auto plate numbers and other information, and gave it to the city’s top public safety officials during a public meeting at
Fred Logan
Commentary the old Homewood YMCA. The city took the information and promised to disperse Homewood’s then infant outdoor drug trade which was not one-tenth as large as the Walnut Street market. The drug traffic in the predominately African American Homewood neighborhood has grown worse; the city has never permitted the outdoor Walnut market to reappear. Racism is a dominant factor in the location of America’s illegal outdoor drug markets. In May 1985 the former HBCIA director Wilbur Nelson testified at a Pittsburgh City Council public hearing on the organization’s pioneering community campaign against illegal drugs in Homewood. In 1985, a transient group in Homewood called Vote & Struggle! kicked-off a, now long forgotten, issue-oriented struggle during the municipal primaries. It was called the “Dope in the Middle of the Street Campaign.” The campaign included, among other things, a “No Dope Sunday,” a Pittsburgh City Council public hearing, a Black church petition drive, and at least two unplanned face-to-face confrontations with then mayor Richard Caligiuri, one confrontation made the 11:00 pm news. Caligiuri never admitted it, but in obvious response to the campaign, he had the police disperse—without wanton violence—the outdoor drug business in Black neighbor-
hoods all across the city for several months. This coordinated effort was unprecedented, and has not been repeated at this scale since. The police said publicly that crime stats had dropped significantly. But the city said the effort was too expense and stopped. Vote & Struggle! did not have the organizational capacity, or influence to mobilize the Black community to keep pressure on the city. That was a crisis of Black political power. Some years ago, the Pittsburgh NAACP produced a very promising proposal titled “Strategy ‘95” to address some of the issues that affect at-risk youth who are vulnerable to the appeal of the illegal drug trade. However, the proposal could not find funds in the foundation community. And most unfortunate, the Pittsburgh African America community has yet to organize the funds for many of the programs and services it desperately needs. That was a crisis of Black economic power. These three incidents exemplify the crisis of Black Power in Pittsburgh. On the first ten Tuesdays of 1960, then New York congressmen Adam Clayton Powell took one-hour (ten hours total). And he stood on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and he read into the official congressional record the names, dates, locations, and dollar amount of payoffs related to criminal activities in Harlem. This included illegal drugs. The New York City police had confiscated this information from a former police officer who was working as a bag man for “the mob.” The news media, and the federal, state, and city governments all ignored Powell. (See, Pillars of Fire, by Taylor Branch). The crisis of Black Power is as old as America.
Where is there peace when there’s so much war in 2022? By Roger Caldwell NNPA Newswire Contributor (BlackPressUSA)—“Until the philosophy, which holds one race superior, and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited, and abandoned, everywhere is war. Until there is no longer first class or second-class citizens of any nation. Until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance, than the color of his eyes, I’ve got to say war,” sings Bob Marley. In 2022, Russia has decimated Ukraine and left 40 million people without water, food, heat, and a place to sleep. As Ukraine and Russia starts its second month of war or military action, thousands are crying, and many are dying. There is no plausible reason for the war, but insanity also does not have a reason. With Russia being a nuclear power no one can predict what President Putin is going to do in the short-run or long-term. When you look around the planet there are different reasons for military conflicts but again people are dying. In many of these conflicts they have gone on for two and three decades and they are still fighting. There are wars in the east, there are wars in the west, there are wars down
south and there are wars up in the north. There are rumors of war and who really wins? Ukraine is predicting that they are winning the war but in a month 70 to 80 percent of the homes businesses and infrastructure have been destroyed. Therefore, when the war is over there will be nothing to come home to because everything is destroyed. In many of these conflicts around the globe people keep fighting and there is no endgame. The majority of the reasons for these conflicts are civil wars, drug wars, ethnic violence, and terrorist insurgency. As many of these conflicts have no end in sight, “Is there a world body that has the credibility to bring these wars to an end.” Some of these military conflicts around the world are as follows: 1. Afghanistan 2. Algeria 3. Burkina Faso 4. Cameroon 5. Ethiopia 6. Chad 7. Colombia 8. DR Congo 9. Yemen 10. Iraq 11. Libya 12. Mali 13. Mozambique 14. Niger 15. Nigeria 16. South Sudan 17. Syria 18. Tanzania 19. Tunisia 20. Russia 21. Ukraine Many of the superpowers are always at war, because they supply the weapons to keep the different countries fighting. Everywhere and everyone are at war. All over the planet especially in Africa,
there are droughts and floods causing a sharp drop in crop production in China, Russia, the United States, and other countries. Ukraine is one of the largest producers of wheat in the world, and at this point they are at war. Economic sanctions against Russia are hurting the food supply chain in exports of fertilizers and food. Fertilizer is the start of global food production chain, so the world depends on Russia. With the war in Ukraine, and the war in the Black Sea is blocking ship movements and food exports are being destroyed. Farmers are reporting 300 percent increase in their cost, and the cost of production of food will be passed on to the consumer. Food scarcity and food inflation will be the reason in the summer why many of the food shelves in grocery stores will be empty. The only situation that can change the destruction on the planet is peace. The problem with war all over the planet is nothing gets done, because everyone is destroying instead of building. “Until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all’ without regard to race, I’ll say war,” sings Bob Marley. There is war in the east, war in the west, war up north, and war down south.
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Here we go, Steelers....here we...go? Bill Neal analyzes the Steelers’ 2022 Draft :10—Alright you diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fans, as well as you non-believers throughout the AFC North Division and you just-don’t-care haters in the global NFL, here’s your play-by-play of our 2022 draft selections. Time will tell if the Steelers ‘Go or Not.’ (This comes with the caveat—I know better than the socalled experts...) :09—Picking 20th in the First Round of the Draft the Steelers took Quarterback Kenny Pickett out of the University of Pittsburgh. Writer’s note: sure, he had a great 5th senior year but against who? A weak ACC Conference and a less-than-stellar Clemson Tigers team— Above-average arm but not like Malik Willis, nor the escape talent of
Willis, who, it should be noted, lasted till the 3rd round selection of the Tennessee Titans—NFLready, I say yes but you truly never know until the whistle blows. As a great 21st-century philosopher stated, “Everybody has a plan until they get hit!” — Mike Tyson. :08—In the 2nd round with the 52nd pick, the Steelers selected George Pickens out of the super-talented Georgia Bulldogs’ National Championship team, who by the way sent a record 15 players to the NFL in this draft. The 6’3”, 200-pound wide receiver caught 90 passes for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in 24 games. :07—In the 3rd round the Steelers addressed
the D-line’s “stop the run” problems by selecting DeMarvin Leal out of Texas A&M. Leal finished his college career with 133
tackles including 25 for loss, 13 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception. The man-mountain checks in at a robust 6’4” and 300 pounds. :06—Round 4 and #138 overall pick brought receiver Calvin Austin lll out of Memphis. Austin
played all four years with the Tigers, catching 156 passes for 2,541 yards, 22 touchdowns, with 323 return yards and two more touchdowns. Writer’s note: this second receiver chosen joins Diontae Johnson, Chase “you better wake up and smell the coffee” Claypool, and Cody White. Big mistake to let James Washington go and an even bigger mistake to keep Ray Ray McCloud around for so long. And we can only hope the best for JuJu Smith-Schuster, he was a good dude during his tenure here in the ‘Burgh. :05—In Round 6 the Black & Gold’s #208 pick was Connor Heyward, tight end out of Michigan State. Yeah, yeah, nep-
otism, whatever. Cam’s little brother comes in with much to prove and even more to live up to. 6 feet tall and 230 solid pounds. 35 receptions... 326 yards... 2 TDs, I’m smelling special teams. :04—Round 7 pick, #225, has linebacker Mark Robinson out of Ole Miss ranked 11th in total tackles in the SEC and 17th in solo tackles with 42. My guess? He will be a plus on special teams with Connor Heyward. :03—And to wrap it all up in Vegas, the super dynasty placed a longshot bet on Chris Oladokun, QB out of South Dakota State. Writer’s note: the only thing I can say about this is if he makes the team and Mason Rudolph doesn’t, everybody better watch their backs!
:02—For the sake of conversation my bet is Mitch Trubisky is your starter until such time he melts down or Pickett throws 6 TD’s in a game, and, yes, Mason Rudolph will be on his way but with a $5 million dollar plus paycheck with him. Don’t cry for him, Little Johnny. :01—The Penguins are in the playoffs for a 16th consecutive season, longest current streak in professional sports in the U.S. This is the last hurrah for Sid, Geno and Tanger, 3 Stanley Cup titles and another appearance in the Finals. Regardless of what this playoff season brings, thanks for an incredible run and tons of amazing memories! :00—GAME OVER.
NBA Playoffs doing just fine without LeBron, as other players step up In this year’s NBA playoffs, there is no LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, but I am totally fine with that. Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets were swept in the first found, and I am cool with that, too, because in the four decades that I have watched NBA basketball, I have never seen a blend of superstars emerging in the game, rivalries getting heated, and such a competitive second round of the playoffs. As of Tuesday, May 10, three of the series are tied at two games apiece, and the Golden State Warriors-Memphis Grizzlies series in which the Warriors are up 3 games to 1, it has been back and forth the whole series in which Golden State had a historical shooting performance in game three, and barely
squeaked past the Grizzlies without Ja Morant. In Monday’s game, May 9, the Grizzlies held an 8-point lead up until Stephen Curry took over and helped get the Warriors out of the arena with a victory. I fully expect the Warriors to come out of this series, however, I think this rivalry is just getting started. Memphis has Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson, and Dillon Brooks all 26 years old and younger that will learn from this experience and will give the rest of the Western Conference a run for their money in the future. The question is, who may they play next? Either the Dallas Mavericks or the Phoenix Suns, which on paper favors the Suns because they have the league’s best record by eight games and
that was without Chris Paul and Devin Booker for chunks of the season. But Dallas has Luka Doncic, who will be one of the best offensive players of his generation and Jalen Brunson, who has helped lighten the load for ball-handling and
sharpshooters like Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans. However, Paul is on a mission to get back to the Finals and a big man in the paint like DeAndre Ayton will make the difference.
As for the East, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are enjoying another chippy series that can show the contrast between the two teams. Jimmy Butler going up against the team that he felt scorned by back in 2019. James Harden looking to clear the ghost of playoffs past heading into free agency. Joel Embiid looking to finally have a signature playoff series win while battling eye and thumb injuries, while 2019 NBA champion Kyle Lowry battles a hamstring injury. These are two teams that have a blend of both will and skill that can easily represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, and it is a tough call to make but I am going to have to pick the Heat to come out of this series because of three factors:
One factor is James Harden’s inability to rise in big playoff moments. Until he proves otherwise, I will not pick a team that he is on to win a crucial playoff game. The next factor is Doc Rivers, he has a 6-9 record in Game 7s, and a .341 winning percentage in closeout games. His rotations and inability to make adjustments in a timely matter make him the most overrated coach in NBA history, in my opinion. The last factor is Erik Spoelstra. Spoelstra, in contrast to Rivers, is the most underrated coach in NBA history. He brought in the position-less basketball that the Warriors and other teams revolutionized, and he rebuilt the Heat on the fly after LeBron left and Chris Bosh had his career cut short. He is one of the best at player development and building a team
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culture of toughness and accountability. As for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, I think this is an evenly matched series with plenty of star power, defensive intensity, and great coaching. In my opinion, the Bucks will not come out of this series without Khris Middleton. Middleton isn’t the flashy explosive player that Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown is, but he is solid and consistent. Middleton is also their closer in big moments like we saw in last season’s playoffs. For as great as Giannis is, I can’t see him getting past the duo of Brown and Tatum by himself. This season of playoff basketball has been great, and hopefully, the rest of the NBA playoffs lives up to my expectations.
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ADVANCEMENT WRITER & GRANTS SPECIALIST Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh seeks an Advancement Writer & Grants Specialist to work across the organization to develop grant proposals and reports that effectively position the museums for contributed support. For full description and to apply, visit https://bit.ly/cmpawgs.
LEGAL NOTICE BOROUGH OF BRENTWOOD BID ADVERTISEMENT On Thursday, May 19, 2022, the Borough of Brentwood will receive bids for New Calming Shelter at the Brentwood Park. Bids will be received up to 11:00 A.M., to the attention of George Zboyovsky, Borough Manager, Borough of Brentwood, 3735 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15227. It is the intent of the Owner to enter into a single contract for General Construction*. *General Construction includes general, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades. Bids shall conform with Contract Documents prepared by HHSDR Architects/Engineers, 40 Shenango Ave., Sharon, PA, 16146, and 201 Century Building, 130 Seventh St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15222. Bidders who contact the Sharon office of HHSDR (724-981-8820) will receive a public link to the Contract Documents. No hard copies will be distributed from HHSDR, and no deposit is required. Bids shall include a Bid Security Bond or Certified Check, payable to the Borough of Brentwood, in an amount of five percent (5%) of the bid, in accordance with Instructions to Bidders, as included in the Contract Documents.
MECHANIC The Borough of West Mifflin is now accepting applications and resumes for a Mechanic in the Public Works Department. Interested candidates can obtain a copy of an application along with a full job description and requirements at the Borough’s website, www.westmifflinborough.com or at the West Mifflin Borough Building, located at 1020 Lebanon Rd., West Mifflin. Applications and resumes can be mailed to: Borough of West Mifflin Attention: Borough Manger 1020 Lebanon Road West Mifflin, PA 15122 Or emailed to: bkamauf@westmifflinborough.com Resumes/Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR The Borough of West Mifflin is seeking a qualified candidate to serve as its next Public Works Director. The applicant should have at least three to five years of increasingly responsible experience in Public Works or a related field, including two years of administrative and supervisory responsibility. Minimum qualifications are a High School Diploma/GED Equivalent but a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in civil engineering, public administration, business a dmi nis t r at ion, c on s tru c ti o n management, or related field preferred. Salary based on qualifications with full benefit package and 457b Plan. To view the complete job description, please visit our website, www.westmifflinborough.com Interested candidates should send a current resume, cover letter, salary history, and application to: Borough of West Mifflin, Attn: Brian M. Kamauf, Borough Manager, 1020 Lebanon Road, West Mifflin, PA 15122 or email to bkamauf@westmifflinborough.com. Resumes will be accepted until position is filled. Borough of West Mifflin is an equal opportunity employer. COMPUTER/IT: Kraft Heinz Foods Company seeks SR Manager Data Engineering IT Analytics to work in Pittsburgh, PA & be responsible for translating analytic business requirements into architecture and data designs to support business outcomes. Degree & commensurate exp. req’d. Apply online at keyword R-53883 at careers.kraftheinz.com/careers/ SearchJobs SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING CLASSROOM TEACHER Position available at the start of the 2022-2023 school year Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM May 16, 2022 LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
Estate of ANTOINE SONNY MCCLAIN (deceased) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, No. 022106395 of 2021, Layla McClain Extr., 5359 Broad Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Estate of JOYCE BURKINSHAW, deceased, of Pittsburgh, No. 022202854. Christopher Robert Burkinshaw, Administrator, 95 1st Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15229 or Peter B. Lewis, Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Estate of JOSEPHINE BOBINSKI, deceased, of Pittsburgh, No. 021603886. John Bobinski, Administrator, 131 Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15210 or Peter B. Lewis, Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Estate of LOUIS JAMES PASQUARELLI, deceased, of Pittsburgh, No. 022202829. Michael Eugene Eicher, , Executor, 315 Penn Vista Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 or Peter B. Lewis, Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Estate of NANNIE M. CURRINGTON, AKA NANNIE CURRINGTON, deceased, of Pittsburgh, No. 3064 of 2022. James T. Sanders, Executor, 426 Darrell Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 or to c/o Jacqueline H. Brangard, Esquire Scolieri Law Group, P.C . 1 2 0 7 Fi fth Av e n u e , S u i t e 2 0 0 ., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219
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NOTICE TO BIDDERS GRAND VIEW SENIOR RESIDENCES – 50 UNIT APARTMENT BUILDING IRWIN BOROUGH – WESTMORELAND COUNTY REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT (LIHTC) REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES GRAND VIEW SENIOR L.P. is requesting LIHTC Real Estate Development Services for the referenced project through the submission of formal proposals until June 7, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. (eastern standard time). A pre-proposal submission meeting is scheduled for May 13, 2022 at 10:30 A.M. (eastern standard time) located at proposed development site on Laurel Avenue adjacent to Caruthers Lane, Irwin PA. 15642. Electronic Bid Documents are available for downloading at www.wchaonline.com (Procurement Module). Bidders are required to register online at the www.wchaonline.com to view bid documents Grand View Senior L.P. Michael L. Washowich, President REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposals for Equity Training. Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, June 8, 2022. For more details and submission information, visit: w w w . a l l e g h e n y c o u n t y. u s / Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/ RFQ/RFI).aspx. Erin Dalton Director WASHINGTON COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY REQUEST FOR BID WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURANCE DUE: JULY 11, 2022 Sealed bids will be received at the Central Office of the Washington County Housing Authority, 100 S. Franklin St., Crumrine Tower, Washington, PA 15301, until 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, July 11, 2022 at which time bids will be opened. For specifications and bid information, contact Christy Kemp, (724) 228-6060 Ext. 128 or christyk@wchapa.org The Authority reserves the right to waive any informalities and reject any and all bids. Stephen K. Hall Executive Director CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
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ADVERTISEMENT THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Sealed Bids will be received by THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, Department of Public Works, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090, for the following: Devlin Park Tennis Court Reconstruction The reconstructing and conversion of the current exterior court facility to accommodate four pickleball courts. This work will include the removal of all fence fabric, removal of several fencing posts and footings, and all tennis court netting posts and foundations. The contractor will excavate an area (approx. 12’ X 126’) for addition court surface. Install two inches (2”) of HMA binder material followed by one- and one-half inches (1 ½”) of HMA surface course. The installation of new fence posts and fence fabric where specified and reinstallation of removed fence fabric, gates, and hardware over existing fence posts. New tennis and pickleball court net sleeves, posts, and footings will be installed. The final stage involves the application of surfacer, two coats of acrylic color, and line striping. The contractor will clean the site and repair/seed damaged landscape areas All Bids must be in the hands of Jeff Schoeneman, Superintendent of Public Works, not later than 10:00 A.M., prevailing time, Friday, June 10, 2022, and will be publicly opened and read at that time in The Town of McCandless Public Works Building located at 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090. Specifications may be obtained at the Town of McCandless, Department of Public Works Office, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford PA 15090. Bids shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside with the words “The Town of McCandless Tennis Court Reconstruction” Bids to receive consideration must be accompanied by a Certified Check or Bidder’s Bond from a Surety Company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the Bid as a guarantee that, if the Bid is accepted, the successful Bidder will enter into an Agreement within 15 days after Notice of the Award of the Contract. A Non-Collusion Affidavit must accompany each bid. The Bids must be made to The Town of McCandless, and shall remain firm for a period of sixty (60) days. No Bidder may withdraw his Bid during the sixty (60) day period without forfeiting his Bid guarantee except as permitted by law. Prevailing Wages are required to be paid on this project. Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds, along with Public Liability and Property Damage Certificates of Insurance in the amounts specified and with the Town of McCandless identified as an additional insured, as well as Certificates of Workmen’s Compensation must be filed with the executed Agreement. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all Bids, or any part thereof, for any reason, and also reserves the right to waive any informality therein. Jeff Schoeneman Superintendent of Public Works NOTICE TO BIDDERS The Sports & Exhibition Authority will receive sealed bids for Condenser Water Pump/Motor Replacement as identified below for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Inquiries regarding the bidding should be made to the Sports & Exhibition Authority 171 10th Street, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Attention: Ryan Buries- E-mail: rburies@pittsburghcc.com, Telephone: 412-325-6151. Bid Packages may be obtained after the date identified below through Accu-Copy at (724) 935-7055. Additional information on the project can also be found of Accu-Copy’s website at https://accu-copy.com/plan-room This Advertisement applies to the following Bid Package: Project: Condenser Water Pump/Motor Replacement Bid Package Available: Approximate Value:
May 11, 2022 $45,000
Pre-Bid Meeting:
11:00am, Monday, May 16, 2022 David Lawrence Convention Center 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Time/Date/Location for Bid:
11:00 AM, Thursday, May 26, 2022 David Lawrence Convention Center
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR CLEARING VEGETATION AUTHORITY WIDE IFB# 300-10-22 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Clearing Vegetation Authority Wide IFB#300-10-22 The documents will be available no later than May 9, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 am on May 31, 2022 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on May 31, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org. Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on May 19, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/81103397922?pwd=L0p0YXh KUS85djc4KzcvL3hXNFk2QT09 Meeting ID: 811 0339 7922 Passcode: 659064 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation. Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
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FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT PUBLICATION DATE: MAY 11, 2022 1. The Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh (“Authority”) shall accept sealed bids for the performance of the work described below (the “Work”) at its office at 232 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222, until 11:00 am EST on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. 2. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: The performance of installation, maintenance, and repair of all types of plumbing equipment and systems for various Authority owned parking garages and lots located within the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as and when requested by the Authority. 3. The Instructions to Bidders, including the Form of Bid, Form of Agreement and General Conditions, may be obtained from the Authority’s website homepage at www.pittsburghparking.com after 3:00 pm EST on May 11, 2022. 4. A Mandatory pre-bid conference will be held virtually via Zoom at 10:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The purpose of the pre-bid conference is to provide additional detail regarding the Work. The information provided at the pre-bid conference will be essential in preparing a bid to perform the Work. Persons or entities that intend to submit bids to perform the Work are required to join into the pre-bid conference via Zoom with at least one representative who will understand the information presented at the pre-bid conference in a manner that allows such information to be incorporated in the preparation of the bid to perform the Work. It is expected that the representative who attends the pre-bid conference will be experienced in construction matters and employed by the bidder in a supervisory capacity. Virtual Zoom Pre-bid attendance is mandatory, and each attendee must sign in via online form. 5. Sealed bids must be received by the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh at 232 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, no later than 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, bids received prior to the deadline will be publicly opened and read 2:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, virtually via Zoom meeting. 6. The Authority reserves the right to in its sole discretion, (i) change, at any time prior to the bid deadline at 11:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the Contract Documents; (ii) waive any defect, irregularities, or informality in any or all submitted bids; and (iii) reject any or all submitted bids. David Onorato Executive Director DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA PROJECT NUMBER 22TG02 (GENERAL) INTERIORS BID PACKAGE AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ELECTRONIC BIDS & BID OPENING PROCEDURE: Electronic Bids will be received by the Allegheny County Airport Authority until 1:00 P.M. prevailing local time, JUNE 22, 2022. Due to the COVID precautions, the ACAA is modifying its typical bid opening process; the formal bid opening procedure will be conducted virtually – any/ all firms submitting a Bid to the ACAA will be given special access to view the opening event. Once bidding is closed, any/all firms submitting a bid will be issued an Invitation (via email) to access the formal bid opening event via a live webcast. Bidders will also be notified of the results via an email within (24) hours of the Bid Opening event. ACCESS TO BID PACKAGE DOCUMENTS: ALL BIDDERS shall be required to provide a completed formal Bid Document Request application in order to acquire bidding documents for any/all of the above listed Project Numbers. No bidding documents will be issued prior to the Authority’s Construction Manager having a copy of a fully completed Request Application. Bid Document Request Applications can be obtained by sending a Request to the following email address: TMPBids@flypittsburgh.com On the Subject Line, include the following: “Bid Documents Request –Interiors”. Once a bidder’s request has been received, provided it is complete, the CM will provide access for the bidder to access and download the bid documents through Building Connected, a web-based bid management platform. A PREBID CONFERENCE –May 16, 2022 – 1:30 PM The meeting will be a Microsoft Teams Meeting. To join the meeting the following number can be called (877) 286-5733 - United States (Toll-Free) – Conference ID 994 642 72#. Please email TMPBids@flypittsburgh.com to receive the link to join by computer. A site visit will be conducted. Details regarding the site visit will be provided at the Pre-Bid meeting. Note that no questions can be asked during this Prebid Meeting. Any/all questions must be issued to the CM as an “RFI”. REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION (RFIs) Any/all questions related to this project must be made in writing to the CM. RFIs are to be sent to the CM via email to TMPBids@flypittsburgh.com BID SUBMISSION Proposals must be made on the Authority’s forms and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’. Due to Covid precautions, ACAA will not be accepting any hard copy bids for this Project. Accordingly, Electronic Bids are the only form that the ACAA will accept. While the Instructions to Bidders will provide more details, for an Electronic Bid to be accepted in must be sent through Building Connected and it must be received by no later than the established Bid Date and time deadline. OTHER ISSUES Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages as determined by the General Wage Determinations issued under the Davis-Bacon and related Acts must be paid on these projects. This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program) (PAUCP). Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PAUCP web site: https://paucp.dbesystem.com/ The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding. No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of one hundred twenty [120] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit www.flypittsburgh.com under “Business Opportunities”. ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY
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PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org). Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on June 3, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) Bid Number
Bid Name
1
B22-01-03AR
Janitorial Supplies - General
2
B21-11-83ARR
Used Antifreeze Removal Services
3
B22-02-15AR
Asbestos Free Brake Block Assemblies
4
B22-05-37A
VMware Support Renewal
5
B22-05-38A
Avaya Support Advantage
6
B22-05-40
Barracuda Spam Filter and Message Archive Renewal
7
B22-05-41
Wiper Arm Assemblies
8
B22-05-42
Elevator and Escalator Maintenance & Service
9
B22-05-43
LRV Split Disc Brake Rotors
10
B22-03-28AR
Refrigerants
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/38pAxNl
HACP HOMEOWNERSHIP PROGRAM RELAUNCH The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) is pleased to announce that effective Monday, May 16, 2022, 8:00 a.m., the HACP will relaunch our Homeownership Program. The HACP Homeownership Program aims to expand and provide opportunities for low to moderately low income families and families having members with disabilities to purchase a home in the City of Pittsburgh. The program also seeks to help HACP residents build wealth and move toward self-sufficiency. Please review the Homeownership PowerPoint and the MTW homeownership program update on the HACP website at https://hacp.org/housing/ home-ownership/ for program eligibility criteria. Additional information is available by contacting HACP’s Homeownership Administrator, Titus Morris at home.ownership@hacp.org. HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 489 894 743# No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 am May 18, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference. To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/3Ln3tnT To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 576 579 745# Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
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