Bakersfield News Observer 11.16.22

CIA Director and Russian Counterpart Discuss Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan

But U.S. officials said Burns and Naryshkin, scheduled to meet on Monday, Nov. 14, also were expected to discuss the potential release of WNBA Star Brittney Griner and former U.S. military veteran Paul Whelan, both deemed by America as unlawfully detained citizens.

The Biden administration has maintained its determination to bring home Griner and Whelan.

Russian authorities recently transferred Griner to the country’s dreaded penal colony, where many prisoners have detailed abuse along with a multitude of other human rights violations.

Russian officials jailed Griner in February when authorities arrested her at a Moscow airport after finding a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage.

A court convicted Griner in August of trying to smuggle narcotics. She received a nine-year sentence, which an appeals court upheld last month.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week that President Biden had directed all in the administration to prevail on her “Russian captors” to improve Griner’s treatment and the conditions many must endure in the country’s penal colony.

Individuals who’ve spent time at one of Russia’s infamous penal colonies reported that prisoners aren’t allowed outside contact for weeks.

The colonies are notorious for corrections officers’ repeated abuse of prisoners, violence among inmates, lack of food, and inadequate sanitation.

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.

Bout, 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 list.

“We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official said earlier this year. “We communicated that many weeks ago, in June.”

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.

During her court testimony, Griner said she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage.

“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 not intended to break it.

“I didn’t have any intention to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia,” Griner said.

U.S. officials continue to wait for word from the Russian government on whether they will accept the swap, and now some are hoping that the planned meeting between the two Intelligence officials could yield results.

Californians Paid Higher Gas Prices as Oil Companies Made Massive Profits

Edward Henderson

California Black Media

Gas prices have a crippling hold on California drivers. As averages currently stand at $5.46 for regular and $5.80 for premium, what is the incentive for oil companies to lower their prices while their profits skyrocket?

California refiners Phillips 66 and Marathon reported profit increases up to 1,243% higher than last year. BP spent $2.5 billion on share buybacks; a strategy companies use to increase the value of individual shares when they know demand for their product will increase. These profits come despite the fact prices of crude oil are going down.

“Big oil is making record profits by ripping off Californians. They said high prices were because of war, state taxes and maintenance, but now we know that was all a facade – these high prices went straight to their bottom line,” said Gov. Newsom in a press release. “A price gouging penalty will put these windfall profits back in the pockets of Californians.”

Newsom has done his part to help lower prices at the pump. His call for the early switch to winter-blend gasoline

however, believe a different approach needs to be taken.

Assembly Chief Clerk Sue Parker and Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras received a formal request from Republican members of the Assembly and Senate to have the Legislature recalled for a joint recess to discuss pressing matters including the consideration of legislation to suspend the state gas tax, establishing a gasoline supply reserve, and expediting permits to increase supply.

The request was denied by Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) in a letter citing that “significant time and resources” had been dedicated to the issue, including providing rebates to help with the cost of fuel and consumer goods.

These funds are currently being distributed to qualified residents. Atkins also cited that a reconvening of the Legislature would not leave enough time for any immediate aid since the California Constitution does not allow bills to be sent to the Governor’s desk after Nov. 15.

For those who electronically filed their taxes in 2020 and received a refund by direct deposit, their payment will come via direct deposit before Nov. 14. Golden State

Californians Spurn Sports Gambling Initiatives on Election Day

On Election Day, Golden State voters emphatically rebuked the sports gambling initiatives on the ballot.

With 67% of the ballots counted at press time, according to the Associated Press (AP), 83.31% or 5,628,855 California voters voted against Proposition 27, which would have legalized online sports gambling. The initiative was backed by gambling-industry titans Bally’s, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, PENN Entertainment, and WynnBet.

Prop 27 was the second least successful ballot measure in the last 30 years, based on the percentage of yes votes.

Nearly 17% or 1,127,983 voters marked “yes.”

Prop 27 was opposed by over 50 of California’s Native American tribes who said Internet sports wagering would harm gambling business at tribal casinos statewide.

Greg Sarri, chairman of the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria Tribe in the Bay Area, a member of the Coalition for Safe Responsible Gambling, No on Prop 27, said the No on 27 campaign is thankful voters stood with state Indian tribes and downed the proposition supported by the gambling companies.

“Today’s vote is a show of support for tribal selfreliance and a total rejection of corporate greed,” Sarris said in an election night statement.

Anthony Roberts, Tribal Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in northern California, said No on 27’s polling before the Nov. 8 election revealed Californians do not support online sports betting.

“Voters have real and significant concerns about turning every cellphone, laptop, and tablet into a gambling device,” Roberts said, “and the resulting addiction, and exposure to children.”

Another sports wagering measure – this one supported by dozens of Indian tribes -- was also smacked down.

Proposition 26 would have legalized sports betting at tribal casinos and allowed them to offer craps and roulette. According to the AP though, 69.71% or 4,665,484 voters marked “no” on their ballot to the question of whether they supported the initiative, while 30.39% or 2,036,734

Californians marked “yes.”

Santa Monica voter Clint Thompson, 39, doesn’t gamble but voted in favor of Prop 26 and opposed Prop 27.

“I wanted the tribes to keep money,” Thompson said. “I feel like it’s hard for them to make money. Any possible hustle they can do on tribal lands, they should have it.”

The runup to Election Day saw advertisements for and against both of the propositions overwhelm the airwaves and digital platforms. The campaigns combined waged the most expensive ballot measure contest in U.S. history — spending nearly half a billion dollars.

Both campaigns sought support from various individuals and entities across California. Many civil rights organizations, including the Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California, the Black Business Association, California-Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP, and the California African American Chamber of Commerce supported Prop 26.

Voter rejection of the gambling initiatives leaves the largest market in America, California, out of reach to legal sports betting.

Nathan Click, the Prop 27 campaign spokesperson, told media the coalition knew passing Prop 27 would be an uphill battle, but they remain committed to it.

“This campaign has underscored our resolve to see California follow more than half the country in legalizing safe and responsible online sports betting,” Click said.

Jesse Jackson’s Half Brother Freed from Life Prison Sentence

CHICAGO (AP) – An 80-year-old half-brother of the Rev. Jesse Jackson who was sentenced to life in prison more than 30 years ago after being convicted of hiring hit men has been released from prison, officials said. Noah Robinson Jr. was ordered set free last month over the objections of prosecutors by a federal judge who cited Robinson’s age, risks posed in prison by COVID-19 and his deteriorating health, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“Robinson was convicted of brutal crimes, but he is 80 years old and has now been in custody for almost 33 years,” U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer wrote. “That is a significant period for the purposes of punishment and general deterrence.”

Robinson was set free under the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill signed into law in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump that is intended to encourage inmates to participate in programs aimed at reducing recidivism, eases mandatory minimum sentence, and gives judges more discretion in sentencing.

Robinson, an Ivy League-educated, wealthy businessman, had been locked up since his arrest in 1989 on charges that he hired hit men from Chicago’s El Rukn street gang to kill a boyhood friend of his, Leroy “Hambone” Barber, after the two got into a fistfight in South Carolina, where they both grew up.

A woman who witnessed the killing was wounded in a later hit that Robinson ordered, and he ordered another hit that wasn’t carried out, prosecutors said. Robinson also was accused of helping El Rukn members connect with East Coast cocaine and heroin suppliers.

According to the order releasing Robinson, he plans to live in Chicago with his daughters, who have promised to take care of his medical and other needs.

Man Pleads Guilty in Threats to Shoot Black Customers

SEATTLE (AP) – A suburban Seattle man accused of threatening to shoot Black customers at grocery stores in Buffalo, New York, and at businesses in other states, has pleaded guilty to making interstate threats and the hate crime of interference with a federally protected activity.

U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said Joey George of Lynnwood pleaded guilty Monday. As part of a plea agreement George, 37, admitted he made phone calls threatening to shoot Black customers at grocery stores in Buffalo, restaurants in California and Connecticut, and a marijuana dispensary in Maryland, Brown said.

He’s also agreed to pay restitution to the impacted businesses, at least one of which closed because of the threats.

According to the plea agreement, on July 19, 20, and 21 George called grocery stores in Buffalo and threatened to shoot Black people in the stores. George told the staff at the store to “take him seriously’’ and ordered the store to clear out the customers as he was “preparing to shoot all Black customers.’’ One store closed.

In May, a shooter killed 10 Black people and hurt several others at Tops Friendly Supermarket in Buffalo. A 19-year-old white man with ties to white supremacy in that case has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges.

George did not call the same store but referenced it in threats, prosecutors said.

His other calls to businesses in other states also involved threats to Black people and in one case, Hispanic people, prosecutors said. He admitted his racial hate to local law enforcement who used caller ID to trace the call, Brown said.

He’s scheduled to be sentenced in December.

George has been in custody since his arrest in July.

Jeff Bezos Says He Will Give Away Most of His Fortune

NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime, becoming the latest billionaire to pledge to donate much of his vast fortune.

Bezos, whose “real-time’’ worth Forbes magazine estimates at roughly $124.1 billion, made the announcement in a joint CNN interview with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez that was released on Monday. The billionaire didn’t specify how - or to whom - he will give away the money, but said the couple were building the “capacity’’ to do it.

“The hard part is figuring out how to do it in a levered way,’’ Bezos said during the interview. “It’s not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It took a lot of hard work and very smart teammates. And I’m finding - and Lauren’s finding - that philanthropy is very similar. It’s not easy. It’s really hard.’’

Bezos had been criticized in the past for not signing the Giving Pledge, the campaign launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffet to encourage billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth through philanthropy.

His ex-wife McKenzie Scott signed that pledge in 2019 and has since emerged as a formidable force in the world of philanthropy, showering charities throughout the country with unexpected - and often secretivecontributions. In the past three years, she’s given more than $12 billion to historically Black colleges and universities, women’s rights group and other nonprofits.

Bezos, who divorced from Scott in 2019, stepped down as Amazon CEO last year to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects. Among other donations, he’s pledged $10 billion to fight climate change as part of his Bezos Earth Fund initiative. Last year, he gave $510.7 million to charity, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

On Saturday, Bezos and Sanchez announced they will give a no-strings-attached $100 million grant to singer Dolly Parton, who’s been praised for her philanthropic work that helped create the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19. Bezos had given a similar grant to chef Jose Andres and CNN commentator Van

last year.

Jones

The Biden administration has maintained its determination to bring home Griner (photo) and Whelan.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent CIA director Bill Burns and Russia’s spy agency boss Sergey Naryshkin planned to meet this week to discuss potential consequences if nuclear weapons are used in the war against Ukraine.

She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court.

McKenzie Jackson California Black Media

and demanding accountability from refiners and oil companies doing business in California decreased prices by 88 cents from record highs a few months ago. Republicans,

(Shutterstock Photo)

Texas Judge Stops President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

A federal judge in Texas bent to the will of a few and struck down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program that offered relief to at least 40 million borrowers.

The conservative group, Job Creators Network Foundation, filed the lawsuit against the plan on behalf who two individuals who didn’t qualify for relief under Biden’s program.

There remains another legal challenge to the plan.

“We strongly disagree with the District Court’s ruling on our student debt relief program, and the Department of Justice has filed an appeal,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“The President and this Administration are determined to help working, and middle-class Americans get back on their feet, while our opponents – backed by extreme Republican special interests – sued to block millions of Americans from getting much-needed relief,” she stated.

White House officials maintain that the secretary of education received power from Congress to discharge student loan debt under the 2003 HEROES Act.

“The program is thus an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s legislative power and must be vacated,” wrote Judge Mark Pittman, a Donald Trump nominee.

“In this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone,” he continued.

Under the president’s plan, borrowers who earned less

than $125,000 in either 2020 or 2021 and married couples or heads of households who made less than $250,000 annually in those years are eligible to have up to $10,000 of their federal student loan debt forgiven.

If a qualifying borrower also received a federal Pell grant, the individual would receive as much as $20,000 of debt forgiveness.

In October, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals placed an administrative hold on Biden’s forgiveness program based on a suit filed by six GOP-led states.

In the most recent case in Texas, one plaintiff did not qualify for the student loan forgiveness program because the federal government does not hold her loans.

The other plaintiff is only eligible for $10,000 in debt relief because he did not receive a Pell grant.

They argued that they could not voice their disagreement with the program’s rules because the administration did not put it through a formal notice-andcomment rule-making process under the Administrative Procedure Act.

“This ruling protects the rule of law which requires all Americans to have their voices heard by their federal government,” said Elaine Parker, president of the Job Creators Network Foundation, in a statement.

CNN reported that major Trump donor and former Home Depot CEO Bernie Marcus founded Job Creators Network Foundation.

Suspect Caught in Fatal Shooting of 3 University of VA Football Players

By Sarah Rankin AP

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A University of Virginia student and former member of the school’s football team fatally shot three current players as they returned from a field trip, authorities said, setting off panic and a 12-hour lockdown of the campus until the suspect was captured Monday.

Students who were told to shelter in place beginning late Sunday described terrifying hours in hiding. While police searched for the gunman through the night, students sought safety in closets, dorm rooms, libraries and apartments. They listened to police scanners and tried to remember everything they were taught as children during active-shooter drills.

“I think all of us were just really unsettled and trying to keep, you know, our cool and level heads during the situation,” student Shannon Lake said.

BakersfieldNews Observer

Adjudicated a Newspaper of General Circulation Au gust 11, 1980, Kern County Superior Court Decree, Case No. 16964, Government Code 6023.

Bulk Mailing Permit 724 Bakersfield, CA 93385

Published By Observer Group Newspapers of South ern California, Inc. Corporate Office 1219 20th St. Bakersfield, CA 93301 (661) 324-9466.

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.

Bakersfield News Observer

The Valley’s News Observer

The Valley’s News Observer

1219 20th St. Bakersfield, Ca 93301 Mailing Address P.O. Box 2341 Bakersfield, CA 93303 Phone (661) 324-9466 Fax (661) 324-9472 Emails and general info: observernews@gmail. com, Advertising: observeradvertising@gmail. com Available online: www.ognsc.com

Officials got word during a morning news briefing that the suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., had been arrested.

“Just give me a moment to thank God, breathe a sigh of relief,” university Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. said after learning Jones was in custody.

The violence erupted near a parking garage just after 10:15 p.m. Sunday as a charter bus full of students returned to Charlottesville from seeing a play in Washington.

University President Jim Ryan said authorities did not have a “full understanding” of the motive or circumstances of the shooting.

“The entire university community is grieving this morning,” a visibly strained Ryan said.

The killings happened at a time when the nation is on edge from a string of mass shootings during the last six months, including an attack that killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas; a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb that killed seven people and wounded more than 30; and a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that killed 10 people and wounded three.

Lake, a third-year student from Crozet, Virginia, ended up spending the night with friends in a lab room, much of the time in a storage closet.

Elizabeth Paul, a student from northern Virginia, was working at a computer in the library when she got a call from her mom, who had received word about the shooting.

Paul said she initially brushed off any concern, thinking it was probably something minor. She realized she needed to take it seriously when her computer lit up with a warning about an active shooter.

“I think it said, ‘Run. Hide. Fight,’” she said.

Paul said she stayed huddled with several others in the library. She spent most of the night on the phone with her mom.

“Not even talking to her the whole time necessarily, but she wanted the line to be on so that if I needed something she was there,” she said.

Ryan identified the three slain students as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry.

Two students were wounded and hospitalized, Ryan said.

Mike Hollins, a running back on the football team, was in stable condition Monday, his mother, Brenda Hollins, told The Associated Press.

“Mike is a fighter — and he’s showing it,” she said after flying to Virginia from Louisiana. “We have great doctors who have been working with him. And most importantly, we have God’s grace and God’s hands on him.”

The shooting touched off an intense manhunt that included a building-by-building search of the campus. The lockdown order was lifted late Monday morning.

Jones was taken into custody without incident in suburban Richmond, police said.

The arrest warrants for Jones charged him with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, Longo said.

It was not immediately clear whether Jones had an attorney or when he would make his first court appearance.

His father, Chris Jones Sr., told Richmond TV station WTVR he was in disbelief after getting a call from police on Monday.

“My heart goes out to their families. I don’t know what to say, except I’m sorry, on his behalf, and I apologize,” he said.

Jones had once been on the football team, but he had not been part of the team for at least a year, Longo said. The UVA football website listed him as a team member during the 2018 season and said he did not play in any games.

Hours after Jones was arrested, first-year head football coach Tony Elliott sat alone outside the athletic building used by the team, at times with his head in his hands. He said the victims “were all good kids.”

“These precious young men were called away too soon. We are all fortunate to have them be a part of our lives. They touched us, inspired us and worked incredibly hard as representatives of our program, university and

community,” he said in a statement.

Jones came to the attention of the university’s threatassessment team this fall after a person unaffiliated with the school reported a remark Jones apparently made about possessing a gun, Longo said.

No threat was reported in conjunction with the concern about the weapon, but officials looked into it, following up with Jones’ roommate.

Longo also said Jones had been involved in a “hazing investigation of some sort.” He said he did not have all the facts and circumstances of that case, though he said the probe was closed after witnesses failed to cooperate.

In addition, officials learned about a prior incident outside Charlottesville involving a weapons violation, Longo said. That incident was not reported to the university as it should have been, he said.

Em Gunter, a second-year anthropology student, heard three gunshots and then three more while she was studying genetics in her dorm room.

She knew right away there was an active shooter outside and told others to go in their rooms, shut their blinds and turn off the lights. For the next 12 hours, she stayed in her room with a friend, listening to a police scanner and messaging her family and friends who were stuck in other areas of the campus.

Students know from active shooter drills how to respond, she said.

“But how do we deal with it afterwards?” she asked.

“What’s it going to be like in a week, in a month?”

Eva Surovell, the editor in chief of the student newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, noted that her generation grew up with “generalized gun violence.”

“But that doesn’t make it any easier when it’s your own community,” she said.

Classes and other academic activities were canceled for Tuesday. An impromptu vigil drew a large crowd Monday night, and a university-wide vigil was being planned for a later date. Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered flags lowered to half-staff on Tuesday in respect and memory of the victims, their families and the Charlottesville community.

Scores of worshippers gathered Monday evening on campus at St. Paul’s Memorial Church for a prayer service.

“Have pity on us and all who mourn for Devin, Lavel and D’Sean, innocent people slaughtered by the violence of our fallen world,” an officiant said in prayer.

Elsewhere, police in Moscow, Idaho, were investigating the deaths of four University of Idaho students found Sunday in a home near the campus. Authorities released few details, except to say that the deaths were labeled homicides.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Ben Finley in Norfolk, Va.; Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Va.; Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Md.; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Hank Kurz in Charlottesville, Va.; Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; and news researcher Rhonda Shafner; as well as videojournalist Nathan Ellegren and photographer Steve Helber in Charlottesville.

Member of The National Newspapers Publishers Association, Associated Press, and The Better Business Bureau

The conservative group, Job Creators Network Foundation, filed the lawsuit against the plan on behalf who two individuals who didn’t qualify for relief under Biden’s program.

This booking photo released by the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office shows Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who was arrested Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in the fatal shooting of three football players at the University of Virginia. (Henrico County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

This combo of undated image provided by University of Virginia Athletics shows NCAA college football players, from left, Devin Chandler, Lavel

Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry. The three Virginia football players were killed in a shooting, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Charlottesville, Va., while returning from a class trip to see a play. (University of Virginia Athletics via AP)

Entertainment

‘Black Panther’ Sequel Scores 2nd Biggest Debut of 2022

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

The box office roared back to life with the long-awaited release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

The Marvel sequel earned $180 million in ticket sales from more than 4,396 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to estimates from The Walt Disney Co. on Sunday, making it the second biggest opening of the year behind “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Overseas, it brought in an additional $150 million from 50 territories, bringing its worldwide total to $330 million.

“Wakanda Forever” was eagerly anticipated by both audiences and exhibitors, who have weathered a slow spell at the box office since the summer movie season ended and there were fewer bigger budget blockbusters in the pipeline. The film got off to a mighty start a bit stronger than even the first film with an $84 million opening day, including $28 million from Thursday previews.

“Some may have hoped for $200 million like the first film, but this is solid,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's senior media analyst. “This is the type of movie that theaters really need to drive audiences.”

The first film opened to $202 million in February 2018 and went on to gross over $1.4 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing films of all time and a cultural phenomenon. A sequel was inevitable, and development began soon after with director Ryan Coogler returning, but everything changed after Chadwick Boseman's unexpected death in August 2020. “Wakanda Forever” became, instead, about the death of Boseman's King T'Challa/Black Panther, and the grieving kingdom he left behind. Returning actors include Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Danai Gurira, who face off against a new foe in Tenoch Huerta's Namor. The film would face more complications too, including Wright getting injured and some COVID-19 related setbacks. All told, it cost a reported $250 million to make, not accounting for marketing and promotion.

AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote in his review that, “'Wakanda Forever' is overlong, a little unwieldy and somewhat mystifyingly steers toward a climax on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic. But Coogler's fluid command of mixing intimacy with spectacle remains gripping.”

It currently holds an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and, as is often the case with comic book films, the audience scores are even higher.

Superhero films have fared well during the pandemic, but none yet have reached the heights of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which opened to $260.1 million in Dec. 2021. Other big launches include “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($187.4 million in May), “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($144.2 million in July) and “The Batman” ($134 million in March).

“Wakanda Forever” is first film to open over $100 million since “Thor” in July, which has been difficult for exhibitors that are already dealing with a calender that has about 30% fewer wide releases than in a normal year.

Holdovers populated the rest of the top five, as no film dared launch nationwide against a Marvel behemoth. Second place went to the DC superhero “Black Adam,” with $8.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $151.1 million. “Ticket to Paradise” landed in third, in weekend four, with $6.1 million. The Julia Roberts and George Clooney romantic comedy has made nearly $150 million worldwide. “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” and “Smile” rounded out the top five with $3.2 million and $2.3 million, respectively.

Some awards hopefuls have struggled in their expansions lately, but Searchlight Pictures' “The Banshees of Inisherin,” with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, looks like an exception. The Martin McDonagh film expanded to 960 theaters in its fourth weekend and got seventh place on the charts with $1.7 million, bringing its total to $5.8 million.

“It's been a very interesting post-summer period for movie theaters, with some gems out there doing well like `Ticket to Paradise' and `Smile,”' Dergarabedian said. “But movie theaters can't survive on non-blockbuster style films. The industry needs more of these.”

After “Black Panther,” the next blockbuster on the schedule is “Avatar: The Way of Water,” arriving Dec. 16.

The weekend wasn't completely without any other high-profile releases. Steven Spielberg's autobiographical drama “ The Fabelmans “ opened in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles with $160,000. Universal and Amblin will roll the film out to more theaters in the coming weeks to build excitement around the likely Oscarcontender. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano play parents to the Spielberg stand-in Sammy Fabelman, who is falling in love with movies and filmmaking as his parents' marriage crumbles.

“This will be an interesting holiday season,” Dergarabedian said. “I think a lot of the dramas and independent films will have their time to shine over the next couple months.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $180 million.

2. “Black Adam,” $8.6 million.

3. “Ticket to Paradise,” $6.1 million.

4. “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” $3.2 million.

5. “Smile,” $2.3 million.

6. “Prey for the Devil,” $2 million.

7. “The Banshees of Inisherin,” $1.7 million.

8. “One Piece Film Red,” $1.4 million.

9. “Till,” $618,000.

10. “Yashoda,” $380,000.

Roberta Flack Has ALS

‘Impossible to Sing,’ Rep Says

NEW YORK (AP) _ A representative for Roberta Flack announced Monday that the Grammy-winning musician has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and can no longer sing.

The progressive disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,'' Flack's manager Suzanne Koga said in a release. “But it will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon.''

The announcement of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis comes just ahead of the premiere of “Roberta,'' a feature-length documentary debuting Thursday at the DOCNYC film festival.

Flack is known for hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song'' and “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,'' the latter of which catapulted her into stardom after Clint Eastwood used it as the soundtrack for a love scene in his 1971 movie “Play Misty for Me.''

The release says that the Grammy-winning singer and pianist, now 85, “plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits'' through her eponymous foundation and other avenues.

The Antonino D'Ambrosio-directed documentary will be in competition at the festival and available via DOCNYC's website for a week after, before airing on television Jan. 24 as part of PBS' “American Masters'' series.

Flack also plans to publish a children's book cowritten with Tonya Bolden, “The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music,'' that month. The North Carolina-

born, Virginia-raised Flack is the daughter of pianists and classically trained herself _ her talent won her a full ride to Howard University at just 15.

“I have long dreamed of telling my story to children about that first green piano that my father got for me from the junkyard in the hope that they would be inspired to reach for their dreams,'' Flack was quoted in the release.

“I want them to know that dreams can come true with persistence, encouragement from family and friends, and most of all belief in yourself.''

The documentary's television debut and book's publication kick off 2023, which also will see the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of her fourth album, “Killing Me Softly,'' with a reissue. Her label for the first three decades of her career, Atlantic Records, is also celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Flack had a stroke in 2016 and spoke to The Associated Press a little over two years later about returning to performing. When asked if she'd sing one of her old hits at a then-upcoming event, she quickly retorted: “There's no such thing as an old hit,'' preferring the term “classic'' instead.

“I could sing any number of songs that I've recorded through the years, easily, I could sing them, but I'm going to pick those songs that move me,'' Flack said. “Now that's hard to do. To be moved, to be moved constantly by your own songs.”

Features

CA Stockpiles Penalties from Uninsured Residents Instead of Lowering Care Costs

By Angela Hart California Healthline

SACRAMENTO — Nearly three years after California started fining residents who don’t have health insurance, the state has not distributed any of the revenue it has collected, KHN has learned — money that was intended to help Californians struggling to pay for coverage.

And so far, the majority of Californians paying the tax penalty for not having insurance are low- and middleincome earners, according to state tax officials — just the people the money was intended to help.

“It’s concerning,” said Diana Douglas, a lobbyist with Health Access California, which advocated for the mandate. “The whole idea was if we’re going to collect money from people who can’t afford coverage, to use that

revenue to help people afford it and actually get care. It’s not fair to people who can’t afford it.”

State finance officials have estimated that the revenue collected via the penalty in its first three years, from 2020 through 2022, will total about $1.3 billion. Gov. Gavin Newsom argues the state should hold on to the money in case Californians need help paying for health insurance in the future.

Newsom and Democratic lawmakers adopted the state health insurance requirement in 2019, nearly two years after the Republican-controlled Congress eliminated the federal penalty for not having health insurance that had been instituted under the Affordable Care Act. ThenPresident Donald Trump pushed to scrap it, arguing that the Obamacare provision was “very unfair.”

Newsom argued, however, that a so-called “individual mandate” would help California achieve universal coverage by requiring everyone to have health insurance, and said the penalty money would be used to help residents purchase plans via Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace.

The penalty revenue was supposed to help fund statebased subsidies for low- and middle-income Californians who purchase coverage through Covered California that Newsom and state lawmakers approved the same year. The state subsidies would supplement the existing federal financial assistance offered under Obamacare.

But covid-19 changed the equation.

To prevent people from losing insurance during the pandemic, the Biden administration and the Democraticcontrolled Congress boosted federal subsidies for Americans who buy health insurance through Obamacare exchanges — and which were recently extended under the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

The Newsom administration argued the additional federal assistance was enough to help residents afford coverage, and California stopped providing the state subsidies in May 2021. They had been in place less than two years and had been financed by about $328 million in startup money from the state’s general fund.

But the state continued levying the tax penalty, and the Newsom administration is stockpiling some of the money given fiscal projections that show California is facing an uncertain economic outlook, according to H.D. Palmer, the spokesperson for the state Department of Finance. Tax revenues this year are billions below projections, he said, and the penalty money could be needed when the additional federal financial assistance expires at the end of 2025 — if it’s not extended in the meantime — or if Republicans take control of Congress or the White House and then scrap the enhanced subsidies.

“The recent downturn in state tax revenues highlights the importance of having those funds set aside,” Newsom spokesperson Alex Stack said.

In 2021, Newsom and state legislators transferred $333.4 million of the penalty money into a special fund “for future use for health affordability programs” in Covered California, though that was a one-time move and the money will not be spent anytime soon, Palmer said.

California is among several states that adopted health insurance requirements after the federal penalty was gutted. California assesses its penalty on uninsured residents when they file their annual state income taxes.

For the 2020 tax year, the first year the mandate was in place, California collected about $403 million from uninsured people, with the average per-person penalty amounting to $1,196, according to the state Franchise Tax Board.

Of the roughly 337,000 Californians penalized that year, about 225,400 had incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, or $49,960 for a single person and $85,320 for a family of three. Some lowest-income earners are exempt from the penalty.

The Newsom administration projected that the revenue from the tax penalty would increase in both 2021 and 2022, including to $435 million this year.

Because tax collections take time to process, the exact total raised to date is unclear. But the administration estimates the state will collect about $1.3 billion over the first three years of the mandate. Most of that money will be deposited into the state general fund and can be used

for anything the governor and lawmakers choose to spend it on. There is no requirement that any penalty money be spent on health care or financial assistance, Palmer confirmed.

Meanwhile, premiums are rising for many consumers purchasing coverage through Covered California, with an average increase of 5.6% for 2023, according to James Scullary, a spokesperson for the marketplace.

Deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs are also going up for some people, and consumer advocates fear that without greater financial assistance, more Californians will opt out of purchasing coverage — or forgo care altogether.

For instance, a mid-tier Covered California insurance plan for an individual will have a $4,750 medical deductible and an annual out-of-pocket maximum of $8,750 in 2023 — up from $3,700 and $8,200, respectively, this year.

“We already had concerns about reinstating the penalty on the uninsured because it hits poor people the hardest, and now we’re seeing lower-income people making tough choices about paying for health care or other basic necessities like gas, food, and rent,” said Linda Nguy, a lobbyist with the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

“Let’s spend the money we’re collecting to help make it more affordable or eliminate the mandate if we’re not spending it.”

Some Democratic lawmakers, backed by Heath Access and a broad coalition of health advocates, insurers, and small businesses, are pushing Newsom to use the penalty revenue to help uninsured and low-income Californians. They argue that even with the additional federal assistance, people still need help to lower their out-of-pocket costs.

“Small businesses and their employees are struggling to afford health care,” said Bianca Blomquist, California policy director for the Small Business Majority lobbying group. “When the individual mandate was established, the understanding was that even though the money is going to the general fund, it would be spent on affordability assistance in Covered California. That’s a big reason we supported it.”

A bill this year by state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), who is leaving office because of term limits, sought to funnel state penalty money into Covered California to reduce out-of-pocket costs for some consumers, including scrapping their deductibles. But Newsom vetoed the bill, arguing that the money could be needed in future years to reinstate the state-based subsidies.

Advocates vow to continue pushing next year.

“Having insurance doesn’t mean anything if you can’t afford the deductible, and that’s a huge barrier for people with chronic diseases who have very high health care costs,” Pan said. “People still can’t afford to go to the doctor.”

Republicans joined Democratic lawmakers in expressing frustration. Former state Sen. Jeff Stone, who was a staunch opponent of the state mandate and has since relocated to Nevada, blasted the penalty as “reverse Robin Hood” — taking from the poor and giving to the wealthy.

“Impoverished people are being forced to pay that penalty, and it’s being put right into the general fund for any purpose,” he said. “If the state isn’t spending it like the governor said it would, return it to taxpayers.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Features

Study Linking Relaxers to Cancer is

“Fake News”

A major study by the National Institute of Health (NHI) found that women who received hair relaxer treatments at least four times a year had a 3x greater risk of uterine cancer. A previous study found a 30% increased risk of breast cancer.

Manufacturers are currently facing lawsuits across the country, because, according to the plaintiffs, they failed to warn them about the cancer risks associated with exposure to toxic chemicals in products.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump says manufacturers have “aggressively misled Black women to increase their profits.” He recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a client who contracted uterine cancer after using chemical hair straightening products sold by L’Oréal USA.

Cheryl Morrow, daughter of Black haircare legend Dr. Willie L. Morrow delivered this letter to attorney Crump and his co-counsel, and it reads:

I am the daughter of the greatest textured beauty scientist in the history of the world, and a legatee of the only industrial revolution for American-born Africans. It is my opinion, American born Africans represent the greatest human ascent in the modern civilized world as well as in human history.

“Enough is enough.” The exploitation of Black health for profit is ENOUGH!

The latest study of relaxers being linked and making Black women four times more susceptible to uterine cancer is simple junk research. This is an attack. I am taking the NIH study as an attack on our legacy.

What researchers seem to be missing, is that out of all the so-called corrosive salon treatments all races of women receive, relaxers are the one that carry the least amount of processing time. This simply means that researchers have not taken this into consideration, the time exposure factor.

Ben Crump and attorney Diandra Zimmerman, along with their client Jenny Mitchell, blindly filed this lawsuit while being grossly ill-informed.

If you, Attorney Crump want to chase a lawsuit because you think L’Oréal has deep pockets and money to blow just to save its face, I will push to encourage them not to do so. This will cast a stain on an ethical industry and will be an atrocity for an industry that has built enormous

wealth and power for Black America.

I will not allow the propaganda machine’s random research to destroy and wither our industrial juggernaut with false concern and hidden agendas. This is fake news and junk research at its best.

I am all for research as my late father Willie Morrow, the greatest scientific mind in the history of beauty science, we’ve had always blazed the trail toward safe innovation for the Black haircare industry. The language attorney Crump and his co-counsel are using is reckless and feckless.

Black hair care is not predatory, and it sickens me to receive countless calls from my peers having to defend our profession from layperson idiocy and blood thirsty lawyers.

Having spent 19 years in New York City, I have also devoted expertise in this area. This is not about me defending the giant beauty conglomerate L’Oréal, “lord knows I have had my issues with corporate run beauty companies, but food for thought here; the lack of state governed cosmetology boards addressing the scientific aspects of hair and scalps of texted hair Americans and the distinct way it grows and thrives, it just goes to show that all hair (textures) aren’t the same after all.

The apathetic way in which state boards and state policy makers focus on minor issues like cultural styling, which falls under the First Amendment freedom of expression clause, doesn’t deter discrimination from occurring. However, junk research is more sinister. It is

about affecting economic bottom lines.

I will not have this happen!

Hair straighter (relaxer), or better known as lye, is a plantation concoction and was originally a Black man’s thing called the Konkaline aka “The Conk” trend. This was formulated, mixed in the kitchens on planation slave camps of America. This was created by Africans on plantations due to our native-born styling implements not accompanying us to the Western world.

Having served as an expert witness in many Black haircare litigations for defendants, relaxers fall under the FDA’s category of depilatories. This means it is a dissolver and not a penetrator. The nature of high alkaline pH treatments doesn’t interact with skin as you would like them to, nor do they work like most industry professionals, state board officials and chemists have educated us to believe they do.

This is the ignorance my father Willie L. Morrow tried to combat in 1982, but his efforts fell on deaf ears. Correcting this malfeasance is most urgent.

Every state board in the United States should also be sued if you want to go the lawsuit route. To be frank, because the consumer also has a home-based version and buys it at their own discretion, like tap faucet water, your eagerness to pick up on the NIH’s study that is not conclusive is beneath the oath you took when you became an attorney, my dear sir.

I have, and am willing, to educate all Americans and all adjacent professional industries that will join me in making beauty safer. We are a proud industry, with high ethics and I do not appreciate this assassination of Black haircare.

My father would be a soldier in this attack. We have worked countless years and have amassed the most extensive and invaluable texture enhancement scientific data in the industry to date. Black haircare is leading in this regard. Our research is rooted in Afro-textured science, these findings are sound research that show a different picture on the overall health risks for Black women who relax.

We do have a lot of work to do, however. My legacy will be to return Black haircare to its glory era, the one that I grew up in, the industry that has and should continue to make Black America economically sovereign to create its own version of the American dream.

To Address Rising Hate, More Focus on Prevention and Crimes It Triggers

McKenzie Jackson California Black Media

When hip hop icon and fashion designer Kanye West wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with “WHITE LIVES MATTER” emblazoned on the backside in white block letters at his Yeezy fashion show in Paris on Oct. 3, it started a national conversation on racism that intensified four days later when West broadcast on Twitter that he was going to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” in a since deleted tweet.

Then, on Oct. 27, NBA player Kyrie Irving posted a link on Twitter to the 2018 film “Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” and shared a screenshot on Instagram of the film’s rental page on Amazon. The film, directed by Ronald Dalton Jr., who also wrote a 2014 book under the same name, contains antisemitic tropes disparaging Jewish people. The film also claims the Holocaust never happened.

Irving was suspended for several games by the Brooklyn Nets for refusing to say he has no antisemitic beliefs and Nike suspended his shoe contract. Irving has apologized for his social media actions, and discussions on biased hate in the U.S. have been heightened.

Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James said on Nov. 6 that Irving was in the wrong.

“Me, personally, I don’t condone any hate of any kind,” James told the media. “To any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities.”

According to the FBI, over 10,000 people nationally reported to law enforcement in 2021 that they were victims of hate crimes because of their race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion or disability.

Hate is on the rise in California. For example, there was a 6% increase in hate crimes and hate incidents in Orange County from 2020 to last year.

Of the 398 bias-motived activities, Black people were the target of 25 incidents and 16 crimes, according to the “2021 Orange County Hate Crimes Report” released by Orange County Human Relations Council on Sept. 15.

Don Han, the Council’s director of operations, said the trend is concerning.

“Orange County has 2% African Americans in the demographic, so a very small percentage, but in terms of hate crimes they are within the top three,” Han said. “That speaks volumes for us, and that is something very intentional for us in how we support the community here in Orange County, so that people can feel that they belong.”

A hate incident is an action or behavior motivated by hate but legally protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. A hate crime is an illegal action committed against an individual, group, or property motivated by the victim’s real or perceived protected social group.

Overall, there were 97 documented hate crimes in Orange County and 301 reported hate incidents a year ago. A large swath of the incidents in 2021 — 153, a 164% increase from 2020 — were against Asian/Pacific Islanders. Sixteen crimes were committed against gay men, while 26 of the crimes had an unknown bias.

The rise in hate crimes and incidents in the Southern California county is part of a broader pattern around the Golden State.

A report released by California Attorney General Rob Bonta in June revealed hate crimes inspired by racism and homophobia resulted in a 33% uptick in reported incidents in te state in 2021.

Hate crimes against Blacks were the most prevalent, according to the state report. There were 513 crimes committed against Blacks in 2021, 13% more than the 456 in 2020. Overall, there were 1,763 crimes reported in 2021. Crimes spurred by sexual orientation bias jumped from 205 in 2020 to 303 in 2021.

Crimes involving religion bias increased from 180

in 2020 to 218 last year. Crimes involving a gender bias decreased to 54 in 2021 from 62 in 2020.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2282, meant to crack down on hate crimes and protect minority communities in California, on Sept. 18. The bill equalizes and strengthens penalties for using hate symbols and bolsters security for targeted religious and communitybased nonprofits.

“California will not tolerate violence terrorizing any of our communities, and this measure updates state law to punish the use of universally recognized symbols of hate equally and to the fullest extent of the law,” Newsom said. “California will continue to lead the fight to stamp out hate and defend those under attack for who they are, how they identify, or what they believe in.”

The legislation brings parity to penalties for burning crosses and using swastikas and nooses. Using a noose as a hate symbol currently has the lightest penalty of the three while cross burning is the most highly penalized. People who use any of the three symbols of hate will be subject to the strongest of these criminal penalties under the signed bill.

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), AB 2282’s author, said hate symbols are violent and terrifying.

“With hate crimes increasing across the state, it is critical to recognize the power and destructiveness of these symbols, and restrict their use equally,” she said.

On Aug. 21 Krishnan Jayaraman, who is Indian was in a Taco Bell in Fremont when Singh Tejinder hurled anti-Hindu comments and racists slurs at him. Tejinder used the N-word several times, called Jayaraman a “dirty Hindu,” and seemingly twice spit at Jayaraman.

Tejinder, who is Asian/Indian, was charged by Fremont police with a hate crime in violation of civil rights, assault and disturbing the peace by offensive language.

Han of the OC Human Relations Council said his group attempts to prevent hate activities in the county by organizing educational programs with schools and other organizations.

“We work with different communities on hate crime prevention and on how to report a hate crime and hate incidents,” he said. “We work with law enforcement. If they are responding to a hate crime, and the victim speaks a language other than English, we are able to connect them with organizations that we partner with to make communication possible.”

Reena Hajat Carroll, executive director of the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) in Long Beach, said racism and bigotry are big problems in California.

CCEJ battles prejudice via workshops and trainings in schools, and with its restorative youth diversion program, meant to be an alternative to the juvenile justice system.

“CCEJ’s work with young people is key,” said Carroll. “It creates a generation of people who know how important it is for us all to fight bias, bigotry, and racism. No matter what age, no matter what race, etc. We have to all be in this together because the problem is too pervasive.”

Han said the best way to prevent hate activities is education and for to people get to know each other.

“We have created a safe space to have conversations, so hopefully those conversations will create common ground,” he said. “If you know someone as a person or another human being, when you truly know me and we know each other, it’s harder to have bias-motivated feelings.”

For more information on hate crimes and resources victims, visit https://oag.ca.gov/hatecrimes.

This report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

(Cheryl Morrow Courtesy Photo)

Cheryl Morrow Special to California Black Media

Californians Paid Higher Gas Prices

as Oil Companies Made Massive Profits

Stimulus, or GSS, recipients of 2021 are first in line to get their payments. Debit cards are being sent out in four groups organized in alphabetical order by last name. Remaining eligible recipients will receive payment through January.

In response to the blowback from reports of oil company profits, CEOs from Shell and Exxon have released statements acknowledging a need for change. Some have been more direct than others with their commentary.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden stated, “I think we should be prepared to accept that our industry will be looked at for raising taxes in order to fund the transfers to those who need it most.”

Exxon CEO Darren Woods said “There has been discussion in the US about our industry returning some of our profits directly to the American people. That’s exactly what we’re doing in the form of our quarterly dividend.”

California drivers acknowledge gas prices are high, however many feel they don’t have reliable alternatives.

Milan Finnie, 28, lives in the Mission District of San

Francisco where gas has been between $5.50 and $6.39 a gallon. “There were places I wanted to go but gas was too expensive. I’ve started to hear that phrase a lot more often from friends as well. I remember feeling limited. It limits me from doing things I need to do and also extending myself for recreation,” Finnie told California Black Media.

Parking issues also caused a lot of extra driving for Finnie. San Francisco’s public transportation system provides some options. However, as a young Black woman walking alone, Finnie has experienced moments where she hasn’t felt safe.

“Depending on the time of the night, I don’t want to do that. The later it gets, the more people are prone to do something unpredictable. I try to keep a really open eye. In my neighborhood there is a high level of prostitution. I personally don’t feel comfortable being out late at night unless I’m extremely covered or accompanied by someone because I have been asked if I was ‘working’. The safest thing would be to drive, but gas prices are high,” Finnie said.

Louisiana Churches Leave Methodist Denomination Amid Schism

Six

are

The disaffiliations, approved in a virtual conference

Saturday, were the latest in a series of decisions that many Louisiana churches have made in recent weeks to leave the national congregation. Internal tensions over sexuality and theology have roiled the church.

The congregation’s delegates voted 487-35 in favor of the departures. The disaffiliations required support from two-thirds of the delegates.

seven

the

Rouge area. St. Timothy, which at 6,000 members is one of the largest Methodist congregations in Louisiana, voted to pursue disaffiliation on Nov. 1, The Advocate reported.

The United Methodist Church is the latest of several mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. to begin fracturing amid debates over sexuality and theology. The flashpoints are the denomination’s bans on same-sex marriages and ordaining openly LGBTQ clergy _ though many see these as symptoms of deeper differences in views on justice, theology and scriptural authority.

The denomination has repeatedly upheld these bans

at legislative General Conferences, but some U.S. churches and clergy have defied them. This spring, the Church’s conservative wing launched a new Global Methodist Church, where they are determined to maintain and enforce such bans.

A proposal to amicably divide the denomination and its assets, unveiled in early 2020, has lost its once-broad support after years of pandemic-related delays to the legislative General Conference, whose vote was needed to ratify it. Now the breakup and the negotiations are happening piecemeal _ one regional conference at a time.

In annual regional gatherings across the U.S. earlier this year, United Methodists approved requests of about

300 congregations to quit the denomination, according to United Methodist News Service. Special meetings in the second half of the year are expected to vote on as many as 1,000 more, according to the conservative advocacy group Wesleyan Covenant Association.

Those departing are still a fraction of the estimated 30,000 congregations in the United States alone, with nearly 13,000 more abroad, according to recent UMC statistics.

The Louisiana disaffiliations will take effect after Dec. 31, church officials said. The Louisiana conference will also see a new bishop in the new year, Delores Williamston. She is the conference’s first Black female bishop.

(Shutterstock Photo)

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) – The United Methodist Church, a mainstay of the American religious landscape, has cut ties with 58 churches in its Louisiana conference amid a nationwide schism within the Protestant denomination.

session

churches leaving the conference are from the New Orleans area. Another

churches

from

Baton

The BoosterUpdated is Here, Just in Time for the Holiday Season

By Dr. Jerry Abraham

Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas is around the corner. The holiday season has officially arrived. Now that the updated booster authorized for individuals as young as five, we’re even closer to ensuring the whole family is protected during fall and winter when the spread of respiratory viruses is at its peak.

The booster has been updated to strengthen protection against the original coronavirus strain while also targeting the dominant Omicron subvariants that have recently spread widely and continue to infect many. We all need to get boosted, and there are groups we need to ensure are protected – children five years and older, older adults and those most at risk for serious infection.

As for our older adults, your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 goes up as you age, and COVID-19 booster doses can help lower the risk of severe illness, longterm effects, hospitalization and death. This means less strain on our hospitals, less risk to our most vulnerable populations and less worry for you and your loved ones this holiday season. .

A recent study found that overall life expectancy for Californians decreased by three years and noted higherthan-average decreases in life expectancy for Hispanic and Black Californians due to their exposure to higher COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death rates. That’s why older adults are encouraged to prioritize vaccination to stay safer from severe outcomes and achieve your highest level of health and well-being.

And for parents, I know many of you are feeling fear and uncertainty around getting your children vaccinated and boosted because you want to be sure you make the best choice for your children’s health and futures. Misinformation that is largely spread online and on social media amplifies apprehension and confusion about vaccines.

But the facts speak for themselves: vaccines and boosters have undeniable benefits. These tools are what is best for your children as we continue to fight against COVID-19. To prevent severe outcomes, including long COVID, I strongly recommend all parents consider getting their children vaccinated and boosted. If you remain uncertain, don’t hesitate to speak with your child’s doctor and get the facts from someone you trust.

Everyone five and older is eligible to get the updated booster at least two months following their last dose, whether that was their primary series or following a booster dose. Getting vaccinated and boosted lowers the risk of contracting spreading and getting severely ill from COVID-19.

The updated boosters will help children’s and older adults’ immune systems fight off a wider variety of variants that we most likely will see during the flu season. The booster is similar to flu vaccines, where the components of the flu vaccine are updated to help protect against the specific flu viruses circulating that year. Similarly, COVID-19 boosters are updated to protect us against the newest variants of COVID-19.

If you are under-vaccinated or unvaccinated, the risk of complications and death increases. Get vaccinated and boosted to protect older loved ones, young children, immunocompromised friends, family and neighbors.

Wearing a mask in public indoor spaces also helps slow the spread of many different respiratory viruses including RSV, flu and COVID-19. Everyday preventative actions like staying home when you feel sick, frequent handwashing, covering your cough, avoiding close contact with sick people, wearing a mask in public indoor spaces and getting vaccinated or boosted can help protect you and your family, especially as we head into the colder months.

To schedule an appointment for a vaccination or a booster, visit MyTurn.ca.gov.

(Dr. Jerry Abraham Courtesy Photo)