“Our Community Affordable Loan Solution will help make the dream of sustained homeownership attainable for more Black and Hispanic families, and it is part of our broader commitment to the communities that we serve.” In addition to expanding access to credit and down payment assistance, Bank of America said it provides educational resources to help homebuyers navigate the homebuying process, including: • First-Time Homebuyer Online Edu-Series, a fivepart, easy-to-understand video roadmap for buying and financing a home, available in English and Spanish.
Man Dies After Car Hits Phoenix Airport Parking Garage Wall
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Black girl magic reigned at the 2022 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Florida as Jordan Chiles, Shilese Jones, and Konnor McClain won the top three spots in the senior all-around competition. The trio made history as the first three Black female gymnasts to sweep the podium. “It’s so unreal,” said McClain in an interview with NBC Sports. “I’m still in shock a little bit.” This summer, the gymnast returned to competition following two stress fractures, a concussion, the flu, andher father’s death in December. McClain, who lives in Las Vegas, captured the seniorwomen’s all-around title. Her combined eight-rotation 112.750 beat out all competition for the night’s biggest prize, and she added balance beam gold (28.900) along the way, USA Gymnastics reported. Jones of Auburn, Washington, finished a close second with a 112.000, while Chiles of Spring, Texas, finished third“This(111.900).isthe legacy of Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Dominique Dawes and so many other trailblazers who trained and stood alone,” Dr. Cathryn Stout tweeted. According to Essence, Douglas became the first African American gymnast to win gold in the individual all-around and team events at the same Olympics in 2012. She retired in 2016. Biles has won 25 World Championship titles and seven all-around titles and is tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American. The next time fans can see McClain, Jones, and Chiles compete will be at the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships, which begin on Oct 29 in Liverpool, England.
1 Dead After Seniors Served Dishwashing Liquid for Juice
SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) – A resident of a San Francisco Bay Area senior citizens home died after being mistakenly served dishwashing liquid as drinking juice,the homeThreesaid.residents of Atria Park Senior Living Facility in San Mateo, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of San Francisco, were taken to the hospital after they were served the drink on Saturday morning, KRON-TV reported.“We have been working with local authorities, who have informed us that one resident passed away. Our sincerest condolences are with the family,” Atria told the station in a statement. The facility has suspended employees involved while it investigates and the facility also is cooperating with authorities, the statement said. Other details weren’t immediately released. However, Marcia Cutchin told KRON-TV that the dead resident was her mother, Gertrude Elizabeth MurisonMaxwellMaxwell.arrived at the hospital with “severe blistering of her mouth and throat and esophagus,’’CutchinAtriasaid.told the family that the substance was an “alkaline cleaning solution that eats protein,” she said. Her mother had dementia and was incapable of feeding herself, she said. Maxwell leaves eight children and 20 grandchildren, her daughter said. California Legislature Fails to Pass Concealed Firearm Law on a Technicality California Enters State of Emergency Due to Extreme Heat
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Jordan Chiles, Shilese Jones, and Konnor McClain won the top three spots in the senior all-around competition.
And the competitive housing market has made it even more difficult for potential homebuyers, especially people of color, to buy “Homeownershiphomes. strengthens our communities and can help individuals and families to build wealth over time,” said AJ Barkley, head of neighborhood and community lending for Bank of America.
Doctors, Researchers Say Virus Will Be Around for Foreseeable Future
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Mortgages to Black and Latino BorrowersContinuedonpageA2
Bakersfield Serving Kern County for Over 48 Years Volume 49 Number 1 Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California Wednesday, September 7, 2022
PHOENIX (AP) – Authorities on Monday were trying to determine the cause of a fatal crash in a parking garage at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Phoenix police said a man died Sunday morning when the car he was driving struck a wall on the roof level of the Terminal 4 parking garage.The crash forced the closure of some lanes on the north side of Terminal 4 for several hours as crews dealt with repairs and the roof level also restricted as police investigated the crash. Police on Monday identified the driver of the car that crashed as 54-year-old Torrey Reid, but no other information about him was immediately released.
US Gymnastics Championships 3
• BetterMoneyHabits.com free financial education content, including videos about managing finances and how to prepare for buying a new home.
Cleveland to Pay $540,000 to 12 Arrested in Racial Protests
FloridaHistoryMakeGymnastsWomenBlackin
CLEVELAND (AP) – Twelve people arrested while peacefully protesting in downtown Cleveland in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd will receive a $540,000 settlement from the city, according to an attorney for the protesters. Some of the 12 also received minor injuries including being hit with pepper spray during the May 30, 2020, protests organized after Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis. The 12 will split the money evenly, and the city has agreed to remove the charges from the protesters’ records, civil rights attorney Sarah Gelsomino, who filed lawsuits against the city along with law partner Terry Gilbert, said ClevelandFriday.has consistently shown a disregard for First Amendment expression despite training and policies meant to educate officers about such expression, Gelsomino said. Police “were unprepared, they were untrained, they were unsupervised, and they didn’t like the message on May 30, and they acted out,” she said. A message was left Friday with the Cleveland mayor’s office seeking comment. In December, Columbus agreed to pay $5.75 million to 32 people injured during similar racial injustice protests.
• Bank of America Down Payment Center – site to help homebuyers find state and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs in their area. Bank of America participates in more than 1,300 state and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs.
• Bank of America Real Estate Center – site to help homebuyers find properties with flags to identify properties that may qualify for Bank of America grant programs and Community Affordable Loan Solution™. For more information, contact Bank of America at 1-800-641-8362.
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentBank of America announced a new zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgage solution for firsttime homebuyers, which will be available in designated markets, including certain African American and Hispanic neighborhoods in Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles,and Miami.According to a news release, the Community Affordable Loan Solution aims to help eligible individuals and families obtain an affordable loan to purchase a home. “The Community Affordable Loan Solution is a Special Purpose Credit Program which uses credit guidelines based on factors such as timely rent, utility bill, phone and auto insurance payments,” officials stated in the release. “It requires no mortgage insurance or minimum credit score. Individual eligibility is based on income and home location.”Prospective buyers must complete a homebuyer certification course provided by select Bank of America and HUD-approved housing counseling partners prior to application.Officials said the new program is in addition to and complements Bank of America’s existing $15 billion Community Homeownership Commitment to offer affordable mortgages, industry leading grants and educational opportunities to help 60,000 individuals and families purchase affordable homes by 2025. Through this commitment, Bank of America has already helped more than 36,000 people and families become homeowners, having provided more than $9.5 billion in low down payment loans and over $350 million in non-repayable down payment and/or closing cost grants. To date, two-thirds of the loans and grants made through the Community Homeownership Commitment has helped multicultural clients to achieve homeownership. Bank of America also has a 26-year relationship with the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), through which the Bank has committed to providing an additional $15 billion in mortgages to lowto-moderate income homebuyers through May 2027. According to the National Association of Realtors, today there is a nearly 30-percentage-point gap in homeownership between White and Black Americans; for Hispanic buyers, the gap is nearly 20 percent.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Maurice “Mo” Hughes has been promoted to colonel of the Alaska State Troopers, becoming the force’s first Black director. He succeeds Bryan Barlow, who was promoted to deputy commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety. The moves, announced this week, took effect Thursday. Barlow succeeds Leon Morgan as deputy commissioner. Morgan is retiring. Hughes’ appointment comes as the troopers face continued diversity and staff retention challenges, Alaska Public Media reported. State officials in 2020 acknowledged that despite ongoing efforts to diversify recruitment, 87.3% of troopers were white. Hughes will oversee about 350 sworn troopers statewide.Hehad been commander of a troopers’ division that covers southeast Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula. The department in a statement said he is the first African American to serve as the colonel of the Alaska State Troopers or to serve above the rank of captain. He began his career with the troopers in 1990, and state public safety officials emphasized his range of experience with the agency during that time. In the statement, Hughes called it “the honor of a lifetime to serve Alaskans” as head of the state troopers. “Becoming the first African American colonel of the Alaska State Troopers is a historical moment and represents the diversity of the Alaska State Troopers,” he said. He thanked African American leaders who “came before and led the way for others,” including the first Black state trooper, retired Lt. Ed Rhodes, and the state troopers’ first two Black captains, Simon Brown and Tony April.
Manny Otiko California Black Media
Biden, who was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid, isolated himself for 5 days and returned to work after testing negative. Then, a few days later, he tested positive again and went back into isolation until he tested negative about a week ago. Because the President is vaccinated, he suffered mild symptoms. However, the rebound positivity he’s experienced shows more needs to be done to eliminate coronavirus.Whilevaccines and past infections have enabled the U.S. population to develop what is described as substantial COVID-19 immunity and those who get sick have a number of effective treatments options, cases of people being infected with new mutations of COVID-19 continue to be reported. Dr. Ben Neuman, professor of Biology and chief virologist of the Global Health Research Complex, Texas A&M University, has studied the coronavirus and found that it’s constantly changing. That is a major reason people
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The COVID-19 virus was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. To date, over 90 million cases have been recorded and more than 1 million Americans have died from the disease. After more than two years, COVID-19 doesn’t look like it’s going away. President Joe Biden’s positive test last month for the disease illustrates that COVID-19’s transmissibility is an ongoing and persistent problem.
COVID in California:
First DirectorBlackof Alaska State Troopers
Department of Education Seeking Loan Forgiveness Applications by November 15
“It takes two to tango. So, we start all negotiations to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained with a bad actor on the other side,” an unnamed official told CNN. “We start all of these with somebody who has taken a human being American and treated them as a bargaining chip. So, in some ways, it’s not surprising, even if it’s disheartening, when those same actors don’t necessarily respond directly to our offers, don’t engage constructively in negotiations.”TheCNNreport noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the United States presented a “substantial proposal” to Moscow “weeks ago” for Whelan and Griner, who are classified as wrongfully detained.Thetop U.S. diplomat said he intended to discuss the matter on an expected call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week.
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By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
President: Ellen Coley CEO: Jon Coley Publisher/ Editor: James Luckey Jr. Operations Manager: James Luckey Credo-The Black Press believes that Ameri ca can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accounts to every person, regardless of race, color, or creed full hu man and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as any one is held back. The Observer Group Newspapers reserves the right to publish views an opinions that may not necessarily reflect those of the staff and man agement and are solely the product of the re sponsible individuals who submit commentaries published in these newspapers. Letters, articles and comments appearing in the Observer News papers reflect the opinions of the contributor and do not constitute the opinion or endorsement by The Observer Newspapers or its staff. The Ob server Group Newspapers assumes no responsi bility for photographs, articles, letters, press re leases and unsolicited materials. Decisions as to the editing and publishing of materials are at the discretion of the Publisher and Editors. All rights are reserved on materials accepted for publica tion unless otherwise specified.
• Please sign up on the Department of Education subscription page if you want notification of when the application is open. Once borrowers complete the application, they can expect relief within 4-6 weeks. Everyone is encourage to apply, but there are 8 million individuals for whom the Education Department has data and who will get the relief automatically. Borrowers are advised to apply before Nov. 15 to receive relief before the payment pause expires on Dec. 31, 2022.The Department of Education will continue to process applications as they are received, even after the pause expires on Dec. 31, 2022.
How do you know if you’re eligible for debt cancelation? Here are the criteria set forth by the Department of Education:
• Nearly 8 million borrowers may be eligible to receive relief automatically because relevant income data is already available to the U.S. Department of Education.
Following President Joe Biden’s announcement canceling student loan debt of up to $20,000 for specific
borrowers, the U.S. Department of Education said applications for relief under the plan should be submitted by Nov.Department15. officials said they’ve made the application process simple, and if borrowers fail to apply by Nov. 15, they’d still have until the end of 2023 to file for forgiveness. However, by waiting until after Nov. 15, borrowers risk having to resume payments after the federal pause in repayment ends on Dec. 31.
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• Your relief is capped at the amount of your outstanding debt.
During her testimony, Griner told the court that she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage.She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court. “I still don’t understand to this day how they ended up in my bags,” Griner said, adding that she was aware of the Russian law outlawing cannabis oil and that she had notintended to break it. “I didn’t have any intent to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia,” Griner said. Detained in February, Griner said she had already been in Russia for several months before her arrest.
• If the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t have your income data, the Administration will launch a simple application available by early October.
Reluctance to Play Overseas
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
WNBA Players Express
While former NBA All-Star and Champion Dennis Rodman formally canceled plans to go to Russia to help gain the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, members of the Washington Mystics said Griner’s detainment has discouraged them from playing overseas. “I don’t know if being politically correct is right right now,” Mystics Forward Myisha Hines-Allen, who played in Italy last season, said at her end-of-season press conference. “So, I know I wouldn’t want to play in Russia. I mean that’s just WNBAthat.”players usually earn more money playingoverseas than in the United States. Hines-Allen’s teammate, Elizabeth Williams, said Griner’s situation opens conversations for players wanted to stay home. “I think it won’t be surprising to see that a lot of players are gonna go over there and just take the bigger checks because it’s kind of is what it is,” Williams told NBC News Washington.Rodman had previously declared he would travel to Russia to seek Griner’s release. However, Biden administration officials pushed back against such a visit. “We believe that anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder those release efforts,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters. Confirmed reports said the United States government had offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Bout,Whelan.who’s serving a 25-year federal prison sentence and notorious for his desire to kill Americans, reportedly has been at the top of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish “Welist. communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official told CNN. “We communicated that a number of weeks ago, in June.”
• For example: If you are eligible for $20,000 in debt relief but have a balance of $15,000 remaining, you will only receive $15,000 in relief. What do I need to do to receive loan forgiveness?
Bulk Mailing Permit 724 Bakersfield, CA 93385
“My career is my whole life,” she reflected as she faces up to 10 years in a Russian prison. “I dedicated everything. Time, my body, time away from my family. I spent six months out of the year away from everybody, and with a huge time difference.” U.S. officials are awaiting word from the Russian government on whether they will accept the swap.
The unnamed sources told the network that the planned trade received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year. CNN reported that Biden’s support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades. The families of Whelan, who Russia has held for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange, if necessary, the report stated.
Doctors, Researchers Say Virus Will Be Around for Foreseeable Future COVID in California:
A2 Bakersfield News Observer Wednesday, September 7, 2022 World & Nation
Biden said it’s vital for the more than 43 million eligible borrowers to take advantage of the loan forgiveness plan.“All this means people can start to finally crawl out from under that mountain of debt to get on top of their rent and utilities, to finally think about buying a home or starting a family or starting a business,” Biden stated. And while earlier reports revealed that about 13 states could still tax borrowers on the amount of debt forgiven, Mississippi and Virginia are the latest to come off that original list as officials said they would refrain from levying taxes on individuals who receive loan forgiveness.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, who specializes in treating infectious diseases, stressed the importance of continuing to follow preventative measures when he spoke during the panel discussion. Chin-Hong pointed out that one problem with implementing a mask mandate is political will. He cited the example of Los Angeles County, which recently considered reintroducing a mask mandate because of rising infection numbers, but cancelled implementation when cases declined. Had the mandate been imposed, the County sheriff said they would not enforce it which would have been problematic. Unfortunately, the mask issue has become a political problem and few politicians want to take it on and risk the wrath of voters. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville discussed how prevalent the disease is and how strict adherence to preventative measures does not assure protection against mutations ofthe coronavirus.Schaffnerand his wife tested positive despite being fully vaccinated and were treated with Paxlovid and, unlike Biden, they did not experience a rebound occurrence of the virus.Chin-Hong said the pandemic will eventually end. But that will only happen when we create the conditions where there are no new host bodies to develop variations of theCurrently,coronavirus.about 400 people are dying every day from COVID-19. That averages out to more than 100,000 deaths every year. “Right now, we have too many deaths,” he said. “We shouldn’t accept that.” Chin-Hong also predicted that in the future we mightsee an annual COVID-19 shot to ward off the disease. Schaffner agreed and said that we should learn to manage the disease with vaccinations, medications and preventive“COVIDmeasures.willbe with us for the foreseeable future,” he said.
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continue to be infected with the disease, he says. During a recent Ethnic Media Services COVID-19 panel discussion with other medical scientists and researchers, Neuman said that people vaccinated against previous variations of the virus are not fully protected against the new variations. According to him, immunity to the current versions of the virus depends on how recently someone had been vaccinated. “We are still vaccinating against the 2019 virus, and it is now late 2022. We have a problem……This is a virus that will continue changing,” he said. Infections caused by Omicron sub variants have been reported to be not as dangerous as ones caused by earlier coronavirus strains, but they appear to be more transmissible.IfNeuman’s predictions are correct, by the time a vaccine is developed to fight the BA.5 subvariant, which is currently responsible for 85.5 % of infections in the US, there will already be a new subvariant spreading the disease.Neuman added that it is still important to protect yourself with masks and by washing your hands. While he has been vaccinated, he recently tested positive for the coronavirus while after being on an airline and failing to adhere to proper masking protocol.
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Confirmed reports said the United States government had offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.
Department officials said they’ve made the application process simple, and if borrowers fail to apply by Nov. 15, they’d still have until the end of 2023 to file for forgiveness.
as Brittney Griner Negotiations Continue
• Your annual income must have fallen below $125,000 (for individuals) or $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households)•Ifyoureceived a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $20,000 indebt •cancellation.Ifyoudid not receive a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you would be eligible for up to$10,000 in debt cancellation. What does the “up to” in “up to $20,000” or “up to $10,000” mean?
Patricia Kelly Adams sits on her front porch holding two photos from the fair photo booth.
Barack Obama previously won Grammy Awards for his audiobook reading of two of his memoirs, “The Audacity of Hope” and “Dreams From My Father.” Michelle Obama won her own Grammy for reading her audiobook in 2020. EGOT refers to a special category of entertainers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. To date, 17 people have done it. The late Chadwick Boseman also won an Emmy for his voice work on Saturday. The “Black Panther” actor won for outstanding character voiceover for the Disney+ and Marvel Studios animated show “What If...?” On the show, Boseman voiced his “Black Panther” character T'Challa in an alternate universe where he becomes Star-Lord from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” It was one of the last projects for Boseman, who died in 2020 of colon cancer at age 43.
Via witnesses Thursday, the defense also sought to raise doubts about the ages of a few accusers, saying at least one may have been 17, the age of consent in Illinois, at the time Kelly pursued her for sex.
By ROSE GILBERT WPLN News GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) _ If you drive out to Gallatin and go down Blythe Street, you'll come across an empty lot sandwiched between a housing development and a barbecue joint. It may not look like much, but this lot was the site of America's oldest Black-founded fair. In the decades after Emancipation, Black communities across the South began founding their own county fairs. And the very first was the Sumner County Fair, which was created right after the Civil War and ran every year until 1977.“It was just something to behold. There will never be anything like the Gallatin old Negro Fair. Never, nowhere,” said Patrica Kelly Adams. It's been over forty years since the last fair, but Adams still remembers everything _ from the outfits she wore to the smell of the home-cooked food that was served. For her, the fair wasn't just a historical institution; it was an important part of her childhood and the place she met her husband, Jimmy Kelly Jr., in August of 1965. “I'm telling you, I just never got it out of my head. I just wish my daughter could experience some of it.” Velma Brinkley is a local historian of Sumner County's Black communities. She's collected a number of relics from the fair, including original posters and souvenir booklets. She explained that the fair was founded by six local African American men: John Banks, Willis Baker, Doc Blythe, Henry Ward, Mac Randolph and Arthur Banks. “Those six men were able to weather several wars. They carried that fair through the Great Depression, through fire,” she said. Bill Ligon and Andrew Turner grew up going to the fair and performing as part of their school band. Ligon explained that there was also a white county fair, but it was not safe for Black residents to attend. “You did not socialize or fraternize with these people because you knew that was dangerous,” he said. “We were persona non grata just about everywhere you went. So you literally clung to where you were welcome and where you could have a pretty good time.” That's what made the Sumner County Agricultural Fair so important. Although white farmers attended, it was really created by the Black community, for the Black community.Therewere competitions _ with awards for the best jams, flowers, vegetables and livestock in the county. But Ligon said the competition didn't end there.
R. Kelly’s Lawyers Start Defense
“You were always either trying to outdo the guy next to you,” Ligon said. “You were trying to out-dance this guy over here. You wanted to look better than this person over here.”Ligon, who is a retired attorney and former Detroit Pistons player, said the fair had a lasting impact on the way he approached life. “I learned competition here.” And fashion, Turner said, was the biggest competition of all.“Nobody was shabby going into the fair. You dressed up. If you didn't get your hair cut on a particular night, you didn't go,” he explained. Everyone dressed to the nines _ with women in evening gowns and men in hats and three-piece suits. This was partly to impress the many relatives from big cities like Detroit and Chicago who would come back to Gallatin for the“Everyfair. Black home in Sumner County was full because whatever kind of motels there might have been didn't rent to Blacks. That's how the Green Book came about,” Brinkley explained. During the Great Migration between 1910 and 1970, about 6 million Black Americans moved out of the south to seek opportunities in northern cities, away from Jim Crow laws and the threat of lynching. For those whose families had moved away from Sumner County, the fair was a chance to reconnect with their roots. Even though the fair has long been gone, the memory of it still pulls people back. Like Chase Cantrell, whose family moved to Detroit during the Great Migration. “I've been hearing about this fair for years, from my father,” he said. His great-great-grandfather, Simon Patterson, was the second president of the Sumner County Fair. Years later, Chase decided to track him down through the newspaper archives.One clipping, in particular, really resonated with him. It called Patterson “the Money King of the Negroes in Sumner“ThatCounty.”title:`The Money King.' It's just interesting because there's so many financing challenges in Detroit and that is part of my work,” he said. “It's like, wow, I am not the first person in this line to have to think through the connections between community and money and lending and finance.”Cantrell is the founder and executive director of Building Community Value, a community development nonprofit. He's come to see a connection between his own work and the work his great-great-grandfather did with the Gallatin“Whenfair.I think about the fair and why it's so important to Black people in 2022, it's the question of what we can build for our own communities,” he said. “Coming out of the Civil War, it took real audacity for the Black people in the South to say `we're going to create something for ourselves that focuses on our own joy.' That's an amazing example and model for me as a younger person.”
There was nothing necessarily sinister about Kelly or his workers dealing in cash, another defense witness, former Kelly studio intern Tom Arnold, told jurors. Kelly rarely used his own credit cards and preferred cash transactions, added Arnold, who said he once carried $125,000 to Kelly in a backpack.Thehighlight of prosecutors' presentation was the testimony two weeks ago of a 37-year-old woman who used the pseudonym “Jane.” She described Kelly sexually abusing her hundreds of times starting in 1998 when she was 14 and Kelly was around 30. Closing arguments are expected to happen in the middle of next week.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Bakersfield News Observer A3 Entertainment
(Left to right) Andrew Turner, Velma Brinkley and Bill Ligon discuss a poster advertising the Sumner County Agricultural Fair. Photo Rose Gilbert WPLN News
By MICHAEL TARM AP Legal Affairs Writer
First Black Founded Fair Held in Middle Tennessee
Co-defendant Derrel McDavid, a longtime Kelly business manager, is accused of helping Kelly rig the 2008 trial, at which Kelly was acquitted. McDavid said he will testify. Co-defendant Milton Brown is charged with receiving child pornography. Like Kelly, he said he wouldn'tTestifyingtestify.would have been risky. At times, Kelly has exploded in anger under tough questioning, which could hurt his defense. He lost his cool in a 2019 interview with Gayle King on “CBS This Morning.” As she pressed him about accusations of sexual abuse, he jumped up, crying and gesticulating. “I didn't do this stuff!” he shouted. “This is not me! I'm fighting for my ... life!” Lawyers for all three defendants are essentially sharing witnesses. McDavid's legal team called the first defense witness, McDavid friend and former police officer
Barack Obama Wins Emmy for Narrating National Parks Series
He Says He Won’t Testify
Christopher G. Wilson. He testified that McDavid told him in 2001 that a merchandizing agent for Kelly, Charles Freeman, was trying to blackmail the R&B star. Freeman testified earlier for the government that Kelly and his associates agreed to pay him $1 million to hunt down and return a video that featured Kelly, describing how he was handed bags full of cash as payment. He said the money was for services rendered, not an extortion bid. Prosecutors say the payments were part of a conspiracy to obstruct investigators leading up to Kelly's 2008 trial. Under cross-examination, Wilson conceded he didn't directly witness anyone trying to extort Kelly, saying he was relying on what McDavid told him. A conviction on just one or two of the charges at the Chicago trial could add years to a 30-year sentence Kelly already received from a New York federal judge in June for convictions on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
CHICAGO (AP) – R. Kelly's lawyers began mounting a defense Thursday in Chicago against federal charges of child pornography, enticement of minors for sex and fixing his 2008 state trial, with an initial witness contending the singer was himself a victim of blackmail. The presentation to jurors won't include Kelly taking the witness stand. Judge Harry Leinenweber asked Kelly directly on Thursday morning if he would testify, and the Grammy Award winner responded that he would not. The judge raised the issue minutes before attorneys for Kelly and two co-defendants began calling their first witnesses, endeavoring to counter two weeks of government testimony – including from four women who accused Kelly of sexual abuse.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Barack Obama is halfway to anTheEGOT.former president won an Emmy Award on Saturday to go with his two Grammys.
Obama won the best narrator Emmy for his work on the Netflix documentary series, “Our Great National Parks.”The five-part show, which features national parks from around the globe, is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, “Higher Ground.”Hewas the biggest name in a category full of famous nominees for the award handed out at Saturday night's Creative Arts Emmys, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Attenborough and Lupita Nyong'o. Barack Obama is the second president to have an Emmy. Dwight D. Eisenhower was given a special Emmy Award in 1956.
AG Bonta Releases Racial Data Critical for Policymakers, Law Enforcement
There were 153,546 violent crimes in the state in 2021. All the data are based on the number of known victims and incidents. Bonta said crime rates remain below historical highs, but property and violent crimes continue to have terrible effects on California communities. “Gun violence, in particular, remains a consistent and growing threat. In fact, in 2021, nearly three-fourths of all homicides in California involved a firearm,” he said. “As we confront these ongoing challenges, we must have accountability and appropriate consequences for those who break the law.” The total number of reported civilian complaints against peace officers increased from 16,547 in 2020 to 28,617 last year. The number of complaints from civilians accusing officers of crimes — 683 — was the lowest since 1983.There were 2,361 homicides reported in 2021, according to the Homicide Crime in California report. Of the homicides where the victim’s race or ethnicity was identified, 29.5 % or 690 were Black, second only to the 47.1 % or 1,102 victims who were Hispanic. The largest segment of Black victims — 38.4 % or 264 — were aged 18-29. Three hundred and twenty-five of the Black victims were killed on a street or sidewalk. None were killed on schoolBlacksgrounds.are5.5% of the total California population.
The Juvenile Justice in California report detailed the 19,355 juvenile arrests in California reported by law enforcement last year. Felony arrests made up 47.2 % or 9,132 of the apprehensions, with Black juveniles being 60.3 %. Black juveniles were arrested for 49.0 % of the felony violent offenses.Over 70 % of all juveniles, including 77.3 %of the Black juveniles arrested were referred to probation departments by law enforcement. Bonta said the DOJ is using every tool it has to preventviolence and combat crime. “Whether it’s successfully securing federal certification of our data systems or taking guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals,” he said, “my office remains committed to doing our part to support safety and securityfor all Californians.”
On the last night of this year’s legislative session last week, the State Assembly rejected Senate Bill (SB) 918, authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge). The bill -- written to strengthen restrictions on concealed firearm permits – was one of several bills the Legislature did not approve during the tension-filled finale to a session marked by pointed debate among members of the Assembly’s Democratic majority. Before the final vote, supporters of the legislation added an Urgency amendment so it could go into effect immediately -- instead of Jan. 1, 2023, when bills passed during the current legislative session take effect. As an Urgency Measure, SB 918 required 54 votes in the Assembly to pass, rather than the usual 41. The bill received 53 votes which is more than enough votes needed to reach the Governor’s desk had the urgency amendment not been added. Last June, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that “may carry” laws giving states discretionary authority to reject concealed carry permits violated the Second Amendment. The decision rendered California’s law requiring applicants to show “good cause,” or a justifiable reason for needing such a permit unconstitutional. In his opinion on the case, Justice Clarence Thomas, wrote that states could still prohibit guns in “sensitive places.” Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, wrote in a concurring opinion that the ruling did not affect “shall issue” laws requiring objective licensing requirements such as “fingerprinting, a background check, a mental health records check, and training in firearms handling, and in laws regarding use of force, among other possible requirements.” SB 918 complies with the Supreme Court ruling by designating courts, places of worship, zones around schools, hospitals, public parks, libraries, airports, public transportation and bars as sensitive places. The bill requires authorities to review publicly available statements including social media to assess whether applicants present a danger to the public. Applicants would be required to submit to in-person interviews to ensure they are “qualified,” and licensing officials will be required to interview at least three-character references. The state would also give licensing officials, usually a sheriff’s office, greater ability to revoke a license. Initially, leaders believed that the measure had enough support to pass with an urgency amendment allowing it to go into effect this month. After the bill passed the Senate with a super majority (2/3) of the votes, it failed to gain a super majority vote in the State Assembly. Seven Democratic Assemblymembers voted against the bill or abstained from voting. Notably, two Democratic members, Adam Gray (D-Merced) and Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) who are running for Congress in swing Central Valley districts may have felt the possibility of a political backlash by supporting gun control measures. Retiring Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach), voted against the measure, though he was expected to support it.
“I’m very disappointed in the outcome,” the bill’s author, Portantino told California Black Media. “But for one assembly member who switched their vote from aye to no, we would have had the 54 votes. I plan on reintroducing the bill on December 5. I’ve already spoken to the governor and the Attorney General.” If it had passed, the bill was likely to face legal challenges because many critics believe that it is too restrictive. The requirement of interviews and character references are points of contention for gun rights groups. For Gov. Gavin Newsom prioritizing gun control measures is still a leading priority in this legislative term, responding to an uptick of gun violence across the country. As of Sept. 2, the Gun Violence Archive reports 450 mass shootings in 2022, compared to 417 in all of 2019. “California has the toughest gun safety laws in the nation, but none of us can afford to be complacent in tackling the gun violence crisis ravaging our country,” said Newsom. “These new measures will help keep children safe at school, keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and responsibly regulate the sale of firearms in our communities.”Thoughdefeated in this attempt to regulate concealed firearms, Newsom has a number of notable legislative victories, including AB 2571, which restricts the marketing of firearms to children and AB 1594, which strips gun manufacturers of some legal protections when their products are used to commit acts of violence. SB 1327 and AB 1621 target ghost guns by restricting their manufacture, transportation and sale and close the loophole that allowed sale of incomplete and un-serialized “firearm precursors.” As gun violence plagues the country, the tug-of-war between gun rights and gun regulations on a local and national level will likely continue. Although California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, the Legislature has yet to find a solution for concealed carry permits.“Together, all of the gun laws that we passed make California safer,” Portantino said, “though not having a CCW (concealed weapons permit) consistent with the Supreme Court decision hurts California, which is why I’m committed to bringing it back on December 5.”
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California Legislature Fails to PassConcealed Firearm Law on a Technicality
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McKenzie Jackson California Black Media One hundred and ten African Americans died or suffered serious bodily injury during encounters with lawenforcement officers in the Golden State over the course of the lastBlacksyear.made up 16.7 % of the civilians that were killed or suffered severe injury injured during incidents involving the discharge of a firearm or the use of force by police officers in 2021. Of the 660 civilians, who died or were injured, 50.6 % were Hispanic and 25.5 % were White. The report, however, does not indicate how many of the 149 individuals that died during the 628 incidents were Black or of any other race. The stats were gleaned from the Use of Force Incident Report released by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) late last month. The report was one of four annual criminal justice statistical breakdowns released to give the public, policymakers, researchers, and law enforcement statistics to support informed policy choices based on data and analysis and to help protect the safety and well-being of all Californians, according to an Aug. 25 press release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Good data,” Bonta said, “is key to good public policy.” He urged people to read the documents.“Accurate statistics and the data in the annual crime reports are a critical part of calibrating our response, ensuring policymakers and law enforcement are able to make informed decisions,” Bonta stated. The other reports released by the DOJ include Homicide in California, Crime in California, and Juvenile Justice in California. The quartet of documents are available online and offer an analytical breakdown of criminal activity and related statistics such as the number of homicides reported last year, how much violent crime has increased in the state and the specificity of those crimes, a breakdown of age, race, sex of crime victims and offenders, and the various types of force used by law enforcement during encounters when an individual died or was injured badly. The information found in the Use of Force report reveals that the types of force used by law enforcement officers against the 660 individuals included blunt impact weapons, chemical sprays, firearms, impact projectiles, vehicles, electronic control devices and their hands, feet, fists use or other body parts. According to DOJ, officers shooting a firearm hit 233 people and missed 58 others. They used K-9 dogs on 77 people and controlled holds or takedowns on 121 others. While officers perceived that 383 civilians were armed during the incidents, 341 or 89% of them were confirmed to have been carrying weapons. 1,462 officers were reported to be involved in shooting a firearm or using excessive force during incidents that resulted in death or serious injury. Fifty-eight of the officerswere TheBlack.Crime in California report presents an overview of the criminal justice system in California. It revealed that the violent crime rate rose 6.7 %, from 437 crimes per 100,000 people to 466.2 last year. The property crime rate increased 3 % and the homicide rate jumped up 9.1% while the rape incidence rate increased 8.6 %. The motor vehicle theft rate rose 8.2%. The state’s burglary and arson rates dropped.
Maxim Elramsisy California Black Media
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Bakersfield News Observer A7 Features
TheBlanketBakewithParisDr. Erica Walton (Courtesy Photo)
For peach filling: 2 peaches sliced thinly 4 pieces of phyllo dough cut into squares 1 tbsp flour 1 tsp lemon juice 3 tbsp brown sugar Cinnamon, to taste Vanilla, to taste For crumble topping: ⅓ cup flour 4 tbsp brown sugar Cinnamon to taste 2 tbsp butter 1 egg Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ 2. Toss together the peaches, flour, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla. Set aside. 3. Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Then massage the butter into the mixture until it’s almost fully incorporated, leaving some chunks of butter intact. 4. Mix egg with about 1 tbsp of water in a separate bowl. This will be your egg wash. 5. Place phyllo dough squares onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper— lay peaches on the top and then spread them to the middle of the squares. Then top with crumble mixture. Fold the bottom half of the square upward in half. Seal the sides with egg wash and top them with more egg wash. 6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 7. Enjoy!!
By Dixie Ann Black The Westside Gazette of the gunshot filled the little Liberty City fell, blood splattering the items on theconvenience store shelves. Little Erica was only a few steps away. She watched in horror as the man’s body hit the floor. The sound of the gunshot continued to reverberate through her ten-year-old body. She grabbed her headand ducked down to the floor to hide as the sound exploded in her “Somebody help me please! Please, somebody help me!” the gunshot victim lay onthe convenience store floor begging for his life as the childwatched. Erica was scared out of her mind, but all she could think was, I wish I could help him. I wish I could do something to help him.A few seconds earlier, this man and another man had been arguing while Erica was paying the cashier for her chips. Now she watched with horror as the man with the gunwalked over to the man on the floor. “I’m sorry man, I’m sorry!” The bleeding man was crying out, but the man standing over him aimed his gun down at the man on the floor and shot again, and again. Erica lived in the projects. Shootings were not uncommon. But this was the first time she had experienced the trauma of watching someone die. The ordeal lasted years as she was called to testify. “The lawyer suggested to my parents that I get counselling.” Erica recalls, “In a community where we didn’t put a lot of emphasis on mental health, I was very appreciative that my parents accepted the advice.” She processed and healed but she can still hear the dying man crying“Somebody,out, please help me.” That voice has fueled a yearning to help save lives. It has guided her like a beacon, all the way through medical school. Walton specifically wanted to return to the community that showed the need for help, even as it supported her in her dream of becoming a doctor. “I really had support poured into me by anyone who knew I was going to medical school,” Walton says of her hometown. Yet she admits that the journey has not been a cushy one. She experienced further traumas while growing up within an underserved community. She witnessed domestic abuse, experienced the divorce of her parents and many of the losses that come along with a fractured family. However, she is grateful for her blended family of six siblings and a stepmother, who came along in time to become her biggest cheerleader as she pursued her career goals. She sees her husband Michael as making her a better person, by strengthening her in hard times. She calls him
A8 Bakersfield News Observer Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Features
Minnesota: $985 • Mississippi: $500 • New York: $685 • Pennsylvania: $307 • South Carolina: $700 • Virginia: $575 • West Virginia: $650 • Wisconsin: $530 Walczak said those amounts double for individuals receiving $20,000 in debt relief. He noted that in several other states, tax officials have indicated that there will be no tax on student loan debt discharge despite ambiguity in state law. “California, for instance, does not conform to a postARPA version of the IRC but has a provision in existing law exempting student loans canceled according to incomebased repayment programs,” Walczak wrote. “Legislation expressly conforming to the new federal law failed, but state revenue officials seem to be taking the position that the forgiveness announced by the Biden administration will be covered by the existing law.” Similarly, Walczak noted that officials in Pennsylvania have announced that the Biden administration’s cancellation of student loan debt is not taxable. In the coming weeks and months, Walczak added that it’s likely that additional states would issue guidance on the treatment of discharged student loan debt and perhaps even adopt legislative fixes, causing this list to dwindle. While the debt – if retained – would have been paid over a period of years, the debt cancellation is included in income in the year it is taxed.
According to an analyst by the Tax Foundation, as many as 13 states will consider President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness a taxable event, levying as much as $1,100 in taxes to some borrowers who receive a $10,000 break. When announcing plans to forgive as much as $20,000 in student loans, Biden said provisions in the American Rescue Plan would render the forgiven debt non-taxable. However, the law doesn’t exempt loan forgiveness at the state level. “As a general rule, a discharge of indebtedness counts as income and is taxable,” Jared Walczak wrote for the Tax Foundation. “Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), however, the forgiveness of student loan debt between 2021 and 2025 does not count toward federal taxable income. States which follow the federal treatment here will likewise exclude debt forgiveness from their own state income tax bases. “But, for a variety of reasons, not every state does that. There are at least six relevant interactions with the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) for purposes of the treatment of student loan debt cancellation.” Those receiving $10,000 in loan forgiveness are now facing the following tax penalties in the following states: • Arkansas: $550 • Hawaii: $1,100 • Idaho: $600 • Kentucky: $500 • Massachusetts: $500 •
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This process was so easy and only took about ten minutes. You should try it out and have a wonderful bake!
13 States Set to Tax Student Loan Forgiveness
“In medical school I was one of only five people of color in a school of about three hundred students.” Walton pointed out the temptation to feel inferior in such a setting. Instead, she now uses the confidence she gained to encourage her patients, “I tell my HIV folks; I want you to know you are coming to someone who does not look down on you. You are not going to die from this, and this does not define you.”She answers the cries for help in obvious and subtle ways. One young patient with no support system was at death’s door yet refused to take medications. She treated him and called him daily to encourage him until he was recovered enough to return to his home state. “He was the sickest person I’d ever seen, and I was able to make him feel like his life was valuable.” In this way, that dying man’s request on the convenience store floor, “Somebody help me please!” Is answered every day. Dr. Walton’s journey in helping to answer that request, shines light on the fact that, once again, one man’s death can result in the saving of many others. The post From One Death – Dr. Erica Walton’s Story appeared first on The Westside Gazette.
“the yin to my yang.” Now Dr. Erica Walton has been practicing medicine since 2010. She attended Fisk University and went to Northwestern Medical School but returned to University of Miami to fulfill her residency in South Florida. She worked as a family medical practitioner but was recruited to take over the HIV clinic at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami in 2014. After undergoing a stringent AIDS Education and Training program with special training in immunology she was further equipped to work with HIV patients.“Growing up in an underserved community and seeing the disadvantages firsthand fostered in me a passionto address these issues.” Dr. Walton went on to underscore the effect of dietary choices on minorities. She is constantly educating her patients by telling them about the effects of high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. She tells her patients,“Your HIV isn’t going to kill you, but you have these things….”Walton was fortunate to have a professor at Fisk University who understood and addressed the pull of heritage. She is quick to point out to her patients that she grew up on the staples of a typical African American household, but through her education at Fisk she redirects her patients toward eating more nutritional versions of the foods they “Whatlove.people eat is rooted in their traditions, so let’s just prepare them in a way that’s not bad for you,” she tells her patients.Inaddition to trying to save her patients through nutritional overhauls, Dr. Walton also attacks the “viral load” (how much of the virus is in the system) and works on keeping the immune system healthy. She points out that if the immune system is healthy, it reduces the power of co-morbidities such as heart disease, hepatitis, diabetes and more.Dr. Walton has won two awards from the Ryan White Program for the control of HIV. The program focuses on the uninsured in each county and the effects of the services they Shereceive.has been the Medical Director of the AHF Healthcare Center -Biscayne for over two years now. Some patients have moved with her from other locations because of the deep respect she shows to them. She credits this deep respect to her relationship with God. She thanks her stepmother for re-introducing her to the church after her childhood trauma and instilling confidence in her.
From One Death – Dr. Erica Walton’s Story
When announcing plans to forgive as much as $20,000 in student loans, Biden said provisions in the American Rescue Plan would render the forgiven debt non-taxable. However, the law doesn’t exempt loan forgiveness at the state level.
Peaches in a
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
By Paris Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor Hello and welcome back to The Bake! It’s stone fruit season, so to wrap up the summer season, I whipped up a new bake called peaches in a blanket. These peach cobbler poppers are so cute, delicious, and easy to make. These might be my favorite dessert yet! I bought some phyllo dough (puff pastry works as well) which made the process easier and faster. Then, I made my peach cobbler filling. From there, I tucked my peaches into bed by covering them in phyllo dough. Finally, I added egg wash and baked! This process was so easy and only took about ten minutes. You should try it out and have a wonderful bake!Ingredients:
• They also are far less likely to be incarcerated, commit less violence, have higher school completion rates and college enrollment, and earn higher incomes in adulthood.
Black youth are far more likely to be arrested than their white peers and far less likely to be diverted from court following arrest.
Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice
As the President announced in May, this will be the first Conference of this kind in more than 50 years.
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Features
“No one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from,” Rice continued. “We must take bold steps now—with government, the private sector, non-profits, and communities working together—to build a healthier future for every American.”
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health occurred in 1969. Many considered it a pivotal event that influenced the nation’s food policy agenda for the next half-century. The White House said President Biden’s goal is to do the same with this year’s conference.
“Hunger, diet-related disease, and the disparities surrounding them impact millions of Americans, and the COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the urgency of addressing these issues,” said Ambassador Susan Rice, the Biden Administration’s Domestic Policy Advisor.
Historic Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
“Racial and ethnic disparities at diversion play a significant role in propelling system-wide disparities and represent a key reason why efforts to improve equity in juvenile justice have achieved so little progress to date,”Mendel added. For all these reasons, the diversion stage of the juvenile court process should be a top priority for youth justice reform, he “Advocatesstated.should push for, and system leaders should take aggressive action to address the disparities highlighted in this report,” Mendel wrote. “Combined, the reforms recommended here to expand the use of diversion and to enhance supportive communityled programming for diverted youth offer perhaps the most important and promising avenue currently available to reduce disparities and to improve youth justice systemsnationwide.”
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The Biden-Harris Administration announced it would host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Sept. 28 in Washington, DC. As the President announced in May, this will be the first Conference of this kind in more than 50 years. “Millions of Americans are afflicted with food insecurity and diet-related diseases —including heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes —which are some of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. Lack of access to healthy and affordable foods is one of many factors impacting hunger and diet-related diseases,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement.“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges further,” Jean-Pierre stated. She said the conference would bring government leaders, academics, activists, and Americans from all walks of life together to achieve the goal of ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases in the U.S. by 2030 – all while reducing disparities among the communities who are impacted the most by these issues. “We will announce a national strategy at the conference that identifies actions the government will take to catalyze the public and private sectors to drive transformative change and address the intersections between food, hunger, nutrition, and health,” Jean-Pierre said.
To learn more and join in taking bold action to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities, visit whitehouse.gov/hungerhealthconference.
Mendel found that disparities in diversion result both from subjective biases against youth and families of color and from seemingly neutral diversion rules and practices that cause disproportionate harm to youth of color either by unnecessarily limiting eligibility for diversion or by making it difficult for youth of color to complete diversion successfully.Manystates and localities have recently adopted new strategies to expand and improve diversion, many of which show substantial promise, Mendel further discovered. “However, efforts to expand diversion opportunities to date have most often lacked an explicit and determined focus on reducing racial and ethnic disparities – an essential ingredient for success,” he added. In his conclusion, Mendel said the evidence leaves no doubt that the justice system “is toxic for youth and should be employed only in cases when young people pose a serious and imminent threat to the safety and well-beingof others.”“Formost young people, diversion yields better public safety and youth development outcomes than formal processing in juvenile court – and for much less money,”he wrote.However, youth of color are not being offered diversion in the same numbers as white youth.
According to new Sentencing Project research, diverting youth from juvenile court involvement should be a central focus in reducing racial and ethnic disparities. It also should improve outcomes in America’s youth justiceThesystems.report’s author wrote that getting arrested in adolescence or having a delinquency case filed in juvenile court clearly damages young people’s futures and increases their subsequent involvement in the justice system. “Compared with youth who are diverted, youth who are arrested and formally petitioned in court have a far higher likelihood of subsequent arrests and school failure,” wrote Richard A Mendel, Senior Research Fellow and Youth Justice at the Sentencing Project. “Pre-arrest and pre-court diversion can avert these bad outcomes,” Mendel concluded. According to Mendel’s research, Black youth are far more likely to be arrested than their white peers and far less likely to be diverted from court following arrest. Other youth of color – including Latinx youth, Tribal youth, and Asian/Pacific Islander youth – are also less likely than their white peers to be diverted. “The lack of diversion opportunities for youth of color is pivotal because the greater likelihood of formal processing in court means that youth of color accumulate longer court histories, leading to harsher consequences for any subsequent arrest,” Mendel asserted. “Expanding diversion opportunities for youth of color, therefore, represents a crucial, untapped opportunity to address continuing disproportionality in juvenile justice,”he noted.Thein-depth analysis of the juvenile justice system’s unequal and limited use of diversion from court involvement, particularly for Black youth, found that in 2019, 52% of delinquency cases involving white youth were handled informally (diverted), far higher than the share of cases diverted involving Black youth (40%). The report found the glaring disparity between Black and white youth in every major offense category. “Overwhelming research finds that diverting youth from the court system yields better outcomes for young people’s futures and public safety,” Mendel insisted. “Yet diversion remains sorely underutilized, especially for youth of color, and unequal treatment in diversion is a key driver for even larger disparities in confinement later in theReleasedprocess.”on Aug. 30, the report, “Diversion: A Hidden Key to Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice,” examined decades of research showing how educational, career and public safety outcomes are better for youth diverted away from juvenile courts. It provided a primer on diversion and its impact on racial equity – specifically, the report revealed that: • Compared to youth formally involved in court, youth diverted from court have a far lower likelihood of subsequent arrest.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Bakersfield News Observer A9
The new gas car ban will address one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases how equitable it will be for everyone, only time will tell. Aldon Thomas Stiles, California Black Media contributed to this story.
Solomon O. Smith California Black Media California has announced a new policy that will phase out the sale of gas-operated vehicles in 2035, thirteen years from now. But that ambitious effort to protect the environment leaves some unanswered questions. The order was formalized into policy by the California Air Resources Board, a state organization responsible for policy affecting air quality, after Gov. Gavin Newsom initially issued Executive Order N-79-20 in 2020. “In so doing we will improve air quality as well as improve the economic climate here in the state of California,” said Newsom, “and so I couldn’t be more proud today to be able to sign this executive order.” The California automotive market is the largest in the United States, with small SUVs and light trucks being the most popular vehicles, according to a study by the California New Car Dealers Association, an organization that uses car registrations to compile consumer market data.California sets the standards for car manufacturers who want access to its auto-buyer market, and its emission laws often become the blueprint for other states. Several states are preparing to set their own dates to end the use of gasoline-powered vehicles, including Maryland and New York.By excluding gas-powered vehicles, the policy may compound an issue very familiar to underserved communities — one of limited choices. Some community advocates feel there is the very real chance that those who are not financially able to purchase electric cars could be left with few alternatives. The pandemic and problems in manufacturing have led to scarcity in the electronics that many EVs need. It has also led to higher prices. The policy does not exclude used gaspowered vehicles which are likely to see their prices rise as supplies become limited. A used 2020 Honda Civic (Kelly Blue Book Best Small Car of 2020) in good condition is listed for $20,000; the top selling 2020 EV, the Tesla 3, resales for around $40,000. Many electric vehicles are aimed at upper and middle-class buyers. New, these cars can start at about $50,000 for the basic package and may also require other expensive add-ons like chargers, power adapters and cables. This was known well before the policy was enacted. Assembly Bill (AB) 2127 Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Assessment (2018) requires the California Energy Commission to biennially assess the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the state’s target for Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs). The assessment determined that electric powerhungry vehicles could increase demands by 20—25%. It also found the number of charging stations in the state is low. The state would need 1.2 million charging stations, as well as another 157,00 stations for passenger busses and trucks.
California’s Clean Cars 4 All program offers up to $9,500 toward a new EV, for those who qualify and Senate Bill (SB) 457, by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), offers $1,000 to those who do not have a car, an incentive for public transportation or bikes. An increase in the demand for electric vehicles and shortages in electronic components have led to higher prices for EV’s. The federal government has made electric cars part of their strategy to reduce pollutants as well, secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, Jennifer Granholm told California Black Media. Some federal programs could help California reach its goal. The federal government is offering $4,000 in tax credits, $7.5 billion for a charging network and has set aside funds to address the infrastructure of the EV industry. “We are focused, especially this administration, on ‘Environmental Justice 40’,” said Granholm. “Meaning that 40 percent of the benefits of all these bills that have been passed have got to go to disadvantaged communities which are the places which disproportionately have higher asthma rates and higher health issues related to not just carbon pollution but particulates because they may be living in those shadows of smoke stacks.”
Increased power consumption, and an infrastructure falling behind usage trends could be burdened by more power-hungry cars. Last week during an intense heat wave the state put out flex alerts warnings asking to EV owners to not to charge cars during peak hours to prevent rolling blackouts and brownouts which could bring a city of mostly electric cars to a standstill. Electric vehicles are powered and charged a variety of ways. Autotrader explains different types of vehicles will need different methods of charging, adding to the difficulty of building out the infrastructure. Without a private garage many apartments do not have the needed setup to charge an EV. The strain to the power grid will be increased by millions of people charging vehicles at prime-time hours. Many poorer communities find themselves in a “charging” desert. Large swathes of area are void of charging stations, many of them predominantly African American. The bill does leave some wiggle room. It only affects the registration of new cars; used cars are still fair game. It also leaves space for hybrids to coexist under the new structure — 20% of new cars sold.
A10 Bakersfield News Observer Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Plan to Phase Out Sales of Gas-Powered Cars in 2035 Has a Long Road Ahead Features
(Shutterstock Photo)
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Bakersfield News Observer A11 Local
California Enters State Of Emergency Due To Extreme Heat
By Janell Gore South Kern Sol As of August 31, California is in a “state of emergency” due to extreme heat according to Governor Gavin Newsom’sAccordingoffice. to the proclamation of emergency, the National Weather Service issued Excessive Heat Warnings and Excessive Heat Watches California for August 31, 2022, through September 6, 2022. The state is experiencing heat over 110 degrees in some areas. A Flex Alert was called Thursday by the California Independent System Operator asking Californians to reduce electricity between 4 p.m and 9 p.m to reduce outages. “This is just the latest reminder of how real the climate crisis is, and how it is impacting the everyday lives of Californians,” said Governor Newsom. “While we are taking steps to get us through the immediate crisis, this reinforces the need for urgent action to end our dependence on fossil fuels that are destroying our climate and making these heat waves hotter and more common.” According to a press release, the proclamation will allow power plants to generate additional electricity, permit use of backup generators to reduce the amount of energy they need to draw from the grid during the periods of peak energy demand during the heatwave, and allow ships in California ports to reduce their consumption of electricity from the Duringgrid. the heatwave Northern California is expected to be 10-20 degrees warmer than normal and Southern California will be 10-18 degrees warmer than normal. More Flex Alerts are expected to be called during this time asking Californians to reduce energy between 4 p.m and 9 p.m, set their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, and avoid using large appliances and unnecessary lights if possible. TheCalifornia Governor Office of emergency services (CAL EOS) website provides tips for preparing for a flex alert: Pre-cool your home by lowering the thermostat to 72 degreesClose blinds and drapes to keep the heat out Turn off unnecessary lights Charge mobile devices, laptops, and medical equipmentUsedishwashers, washing machines, and other major appliances before 3 p.m According CAL EOS children and pets should never be left in cars even when there is not a heatwave because cars can get over 100 degrees in less than ten minutes. “Extreme heat especially endangers workers, children, seniors, historically underserved and overburdened communities, and people with underlying health conditions,” sated Newsom’s office in the release. The release provided links to information about workers rights and resources. Resources for Californians facing extreme heat, including safety tips and other information, can be found HERE. A map of cooling centers is available online however, according to the map there are no current cooling centers available in Kern County. The release stated that extreme heat is very dangerous and in come cases can be fatal. It is important for those at higher risk such as older age, chronic and severe illness, and environmental overexposure (e.g. certain jobs or homelessness) try to stay cool. The release recommends people connected to those with high risk: Keep in regular contact with that person, ensure they can access air conditioned buildings (e.g. cooling centers, public buildings), and keep hydrated Watch out for heat-related illnesses, especially heat stroke, and call 9-1-1 if needed Wear lightweight, light colored, loose-fitting clothing. Wear sunscreen. Try to be less active during the hottest part of the day. Rest often and pace yourself Don’t forget to protect your pets from the heat, and never leave a child or pet in the car, even if the windows are partially open. The California Governor Office of emergency services also provides tips for preparing for a flex alert.
A12 Bakersfield News Observer Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Local
