Los Angeles News Observer 6.1.23

One!Take News Observer

Rock Legend Tina Turner Dies at 83

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock ‘n Roll’ whose legend grew after she overcame a bitter divorce to musician Ike Turner that was filled with violence, has died at the age of 83. The superstar’s family confirmed her death in a

statement on Wednesday, May 24, noting that Turner died “peacefully” at her home near Zurich, Switzerland.

“Starting with her performances with her ex-husband

Ike, Turner injected an uninhibited, volcanic stage presence into pop,” Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos declared in a tribute. “Even with choreographed backup singers — both

4-Year-Old Child is ‘OK’ After Being Dropped from Border Wall in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (AP) – A 4-year-old child was dropped into the United States from a high border wall with Mexico in a surveillance video that captures a routineand highly risky - occurrence.

“Remarkably, the child is ok!” Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz tweeted in his caption to the agency’s oneminute, 37-second video, which was posted on Twitter on Monday. “Do not trust smugglers!’’

with Ike and during her own career — Turner never seemed to reign in,” Spanos, who co-authored the tribute with David Browne, asserted.

“Her influence on rock, R&B and soul singing and performance was also immeasurable.

“Her delivery influenced everyone from Mick Jagger to Mary J. Blige, and her high-energy stage presence (topped with an array of gravity-defying wigs) was passed down to Janet Jackson and Beyoncé.

“Turner’s message — one that resounded with generations of women — was that she could hold her own onstage against any man.”

Born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee in 1939, Turner started her career in 1958 as the lead singer for Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm band.

Later, the couple changed the name to the Ike & Tina Revue and spun out hit after hit with songs like “Nutbush City Limits,” “River Deep,” and the seminal “Proud Mary.”

Following a tumultuous and abusive relationship, Tina escaped from Ike’s clutches in 1976 with no money and just the clothes on her back that reportedly were bloodied following Ike’s latest assault.

During divorce proceedings, Tina simply demanded that she keep her stage name which the judge granted.

With assistance from rock stars like Mick Jagger and David Bowie, Turner rebounded several years later and topped the pop music charts with her 1984 solo album, Private Dancer.

The album included a bevy of hit singles, including a remake of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” which became the title of her successful 1993 biopic starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.

She then enjoyed the starring role alongside Mel Gibson in the 1985 movie, “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.”

In 1986, Tina wrote her memoir, “I, Tina,” which writers used to create the film, What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Over her career, Turner earned 11 Grammy Awards, and sold an estimated 180 million records globally.

In 2001, Turner earned induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, in 2008, after having taken a hiatus from performing, toured the world for her 50th anniversary in show business.

“Heaven has gained an angel,” singer Ciara tweeted.

“Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all.”

The Defender Network’s Twitter account praised Turner as “an unstoppable musical force who exuded grace and resilience. “

And hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash said Turner would be missed.

“Rest in peace Tina Turner you will be missed.”

“My condolences to the Turner family,” Flash said.

The jerky, black-and-white images appear to show the child and one adult being aided by another adult over the wall, which rises as high 30 feet (9.1 meters) between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California. Ortiz said agents heard gunfire while tending to the child.

The child came with two adults, all of whom were in Border Patrol custody, agency spokesman Michael Scappechio said Tuesday. It had not been confirmed if the adults were the child’s parents or what nationality they were. It was also unclear if they would be released in the United States to pursue immigration cases or deported.

Attempts to get over the wall happen daily but are less common among children of such young ages, Scappechio said.

Researchers have found sharp increases in deaths and severe injuries associated with trying to overcome the San Diego wall since it was heightened during the Trump administration. A study published last year in JAMA Surgery found 16 deaths from 2019 to 2021, compared to zero from 2016 to 2018 and 375 severe injuries from 2019 to 2021 compared to 67 from 2016 to 2018. An end to pandemic-era limits on asylum on May 11 was expected to bring more illegal crossings but the opposite has occurred so far. Ortiz said Monday that illegal crossings totaled 8,750 over the previous 72 hours for a daily average of 2,916, down from a daily average of more than 10,000 just before the restrictions lifted.

A’s Broadcaster Glen Kuiper Let Go after Racial Slur on Air

By JOSH DUBOW

AP Sports Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Oakland Athletics

broadcaster Glen Kuiper was let go by NBC Sports California after using a racial slur during a telecast while describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Kuiper was suspended by the network following his slur that aired during a pregame segment of an A’s game against the Kansas City Royals on May 5. Kuiper talked about a trip to the museum with colleague Dallas Braden but seemingly mispronounced the word “Negro,” making it sound instead like a slur.

“Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately,” the network said in a statement Monday. “We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.”

A person familiar with the investigation said “the decision was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in the internal review.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity and didn’t divulge specific details because the network had not publicly disclosed the results of the investigation.

Kuiper said in a statement Monday night that he mispronounced the word “negro” out of his excitement talking about his visit to the museum.

“It was a terrible but honest mispronunciation, and I take full responsibility,” he said.

Kuiper said “racism is in no way a part of me; it never has been, and it never will be.”

“I am an honest, caring, kind, honorable, respectful husband and father who would never utter a disparaging word about anybody. Those who know me best know this about me,” he said. “I wish the Oakland A’s and NBC Sports would have taken into consideration my 20-year career, my solid reputation, integrity, and character, but in this current environment traits like integrity and character are no longer considered. I will always have a hard time understanding how one mistake in a 20-year broadcasting career is cause for termination, but I know something better is in my future.”

The superstar’s family confirmed her death in a statement on Wednesday, May 24, noting that Turner died “peacefully” at her home near Zurich, Switzerland.

Debt Ceiling Deal Reached

All Eyes Turn to Congress to Ratify Agreement

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA

Newswire

Senior National Correspondent

After months of uncertainty and verbal sparring, an “agreement in principle” has been reached to spare the United States from its first-ever debt default.

But now comes the hard part: convincing both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree to pass the measure.

After President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that they’d reached an accord to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default, Congress has just a few days to approve the deal.

But multiple conflicting reports have suggested that members on both sides of the aisle might have enough issues with the deal that it could fail to pass.

Democrats have said work requirements for food stamp recipients were a non-starter.

GOP members have sought to curtail spending, even after former Republican President Donald Trump went unchecked in adding trillions to America’s debt during his four years.

The Biden administration had managed to cut into the estimated $31 trillion in federal debt while attempting to strengthen social safety net programs like food stamps, social security, and benefits for veterans, the elderly, and disabled.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had announced a deadline of June 5 before the government would default on its debts. Continued on page A2

A’s manager Mark Kotsay said the decision wasn’t made by the team and that he sympathizes with Kuiper. “I can’t imagine being in his shoes right now,” Kotsay said. ‘’I think personally, we missed an opportunity here maybe to use this as an educational platform. But as you said, I don’t make decisions and this isn’t a decision I was involved in and nor was the organization really. This was a decision made by NBC.”

Kuiper has been calling A’s games in the Bay Area for the last 20 years. He is the younger brother of former major leaguer and Giants announcer Duane Kuiper.

Man Shot Roommate for Eating the Last Hot Pocket

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A man in Kentucky’s largest city is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his roommate during a dispute over a Hot Pocket, authorities say.

Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested on assault charges Sunday after he accused his roommate of eating their last Hot Pocket and attacked him, shooting him in the buttocks, Louisville Metro Police Department officials told WLKY-TV.

According to police, Williams started throwing tiles at the man after he realized the last microwaveable turnover was gone. He then shot him in the buttocks as he tried to escape, the TV station reported. Williams is prohibited from contacting the victim, who was taken to UofL Hospital to be treated for nonlife-threatening injuries. His bond was set at $7, 500.

(Courtesy Photo)

By Stacy M. Brown

After President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that they’d reached an accord to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default, Congress has just a few days to approve the deal.

World & Nation

Honoring Black Americans’ Role in the Inception of Memorial Day

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA

Newswire

Senior National Correspondent

Memorial Day has a deep historical connection to the African American community in the United States.

The holiday, which originated as Decoration Day, initially began when formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants gathered to honor and decorate the graves of Union soldiers who fought during the Civil War.

“Oddly, that’s a fact that I wasn’t fully aware of,” former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young told the Black Press.

“It’s not surprising, though,” said Young, an American civil rights leader and hero.

Indeed, on a day when picnics, family outings, and other leisurely pursuits occur, the founders of Memorial Day meant for the occasion to honor African Americans newly freed from enslavement, and those who lost their lives fighting for freedom, said actor Wendell Pierce.

“We will never forget those brave and honorable souls,” Pierce stated.

Famous DJ Donnie Simpson called the occasion “very different for me.”

“While we honor those who gave their lives in service for this country, I can’t help but think of those African Americans who were massacred in Tulsa 100 years ago,” Simpson wrote on Twitter.

Author Christina Coles deadpanned, “The Civil War was over, and African Americans had founded Memorial Day in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. They were the true patriots.”

Ben Gold, a historian and founder of the real estate investment firm Recommended Homebuyers, said recognizing Black soldiers,’ and their families’ sacrifices and bravery is essential because it acknowledges their oftenoverlooked role in shaping the nation’s history.

“Commemorating Memorial Day with Black heroes in mind serves several critical purposes. First and foremost, it ensures that their stories are included and preserved within the broader narrative of the holiday,” Gold insisted.

He said that by highlighting Black service members’ courage, resilience, and contributions, America pays homage to their sacrifices and honors their memory.

Moreover, Gold asserted that it fosters a sense of inclusivity, promotes diversity, and enriches our collective understanding of the complex tapestry of American history.

“In my experience as an investor and developer, I have witnessed firsthand the power of recognizing and celebrating diversity,” Gold said.

“Just as the real estate industry thrives when it embraces inclusivity, so does our society when we acknowledge and appreciate the diverse perspectives and experiences of all those who have served our country.

“By featuring the stories of Black heroes in Memorial Day commemorations, we not only educate and inspire, but we also contribute to a more inclusive and united nation.”

Indeed, as noted in a Washington Informer editorial, the significance of African Americans in the holiday’s development and the numerous ideas regarding its origins may not be widely known. Although the origins of Memorial Day trace back to the period following the Civil War, when some 620,000 soldiers lost their lives, the precise origins remain a source of controversy.

U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Release Resource on

Several cities have staked claims to be the first to celebrate Memorial Day.

Still, a different narrative, perhaps more accurately, says that African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865 were the true founders of the holiday.

Renowned historian David Blight, a Pulitzer Prizewinning author and American history professor at Yale University recounted a poignant commemoration in Charleston on May 1, 1865.

Organized by formerly enslaved people and white missionaries, Blight determined that the event occurred at a former racecourse that had served as a Confederate prison for Union soldiers during the war’s final year.

At least 257 prisoners had perished there, primarily due to disease, and were buried in unmarked graves.

Eventually, two dozen African American residents of Charleston meticulously rearranged the graves into orderly rows. They erected a three-meter-tall white fence around them, creating what they called the ‘Martyrs of the Racecourse’ memorial.

“After the Confederate evacuation of Charleston Black workmen went to the site, reburied the Union dead properly, and built a high fence around the cemetery,” Blight documented.

“They whitewashed the fence and built an archway over an entrance on which they inscribed the words, ‘Martyrs of the Racecourse.’”

He continued:

“The symbolic power of this Low Country planter aristocracy’s bastion was not lost on the freed people, who then, in cooperation with white missionaries and teachers, staged a parade of 10,000 on the track.”

The gravesites were transformed into a breathtaking “sea of flowers,” as described by the New York Tribune, and the event was hailed as a procession of mourning and remembrance, unlike anything South Carolina or the United States had witnessed before.

Despite documented evidence about this event, the narrative of African Americans being the founders of Memorial Day essentially went untold.

“That’s the surprising part,” said Ambassador Young, a civil rights icon who also served as mayor of Atlanta from 1981 to 1990.

“It’s history I want to read and know more about, and everyone else should as well.”

Confronting Racial Discrimination

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in Student Discipline

or Native American students.

NNPA Newswire

Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (Justice) jointly released a Resource on Confronting Racial Discrimination in Student Discipline.

The Departments recognize and appreciate school administrators, teachers, and educational staff across the nation who work to administer student discipline fairly, and to provide a safe, positive, and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all students, teachers, and other educators.

The Resource demonstrates the Departments’ ongoing commitment to the vigorous enforcement of laws that protect students from discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in student discipline.

The Resource provides examples of the Departments’ investigations of such discrimination over the last 10 years, reflecting the long-standing approach and continuity in the Departments’ enforcement practices over time and the continuing urgency of assuring nondiscrimination in student discipline in our nation’s schools.

“OCR remains committed to ensuring nondiscrimination in disciplinary practices,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.

“I look forward to ongoing work in, and with, schools to ensure that no student experiences unlawful discrimination, including with respect to discipline.”

“Discrimination in school discipline can have devastating long-term consequences on students and their future opportunities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division uses our federal civil rights laws to protect students from discriminatory discipline, including discrimination in suspensions and expulsions, law enforcement referrals and school-based arrests.

“The investigations that we describe demonstrate how students may experience discrimination based on multiple facets of their identities and reflect our joint commitment to fully protect all students.”

The Resource describes how the Departments resolved investigations of 14 school districts in 10 states nationwide – Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah.

These investigations, conducted under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its regulations, and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, involved concerns of discrimination in schools’ use of out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, school-based arrests, referrals to law enforcement, involuntary discipline transfers, informal removals, and other discipline against Black, Latino, and/

The Departments recognize and appreciate school administrators, teachers, and educational staff across the nation who work to administer student discipline fairly, and to provide a safe, positive, and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all students, teachers, and other educators.

The Resource demonstrates ways school districts can take steps to proactively improve their administration of student discipline.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Office of Safe & Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Centers released a series of fact sheets on how school leaders and members of school communities may support students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic well-being and success. The fact sheets are: “Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Well-Being and Success” through: Strategies for Student and Teacher Support Teams; Strategies for Educators and School-Based Staff; Strategies for Schools to Enhance Relationships with Families; Strategies for School and District Leaders.

You can find the fact sheets here. OESE Technical

“Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Well-Being and Success” fact sheets on the dates/times noted below and you can find registration information below. More information is available here:

Introduction to the Department’s Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates.

August 9, 2023, 3:00 pm ET

Strategies for School and District Leaders

August 23, 2023, 3:00 pm ET

Strategies for Schools to Enhance Relationships with Families

September 20, 2023, 3:00 pm ET

Strategies for Educators and School-Based Staff

October 4, 2023, 3:00 pm ET

Strategies for Student and Teacher Support Teams

October 18, 2023, 3:00 pm ET

Debt Ceiling Deal Reached

All Eyes Turn to Congress to Ratify Agreement

Continued from page A1

While Democrats were expected to gather for a call on Sunday, May 28, McCarthy expressed confidence that his party would sign off on the package.

“At the end of the day, people can work together to be able to pass this,” the Speaker stated.

The agreed-upon 2-year deal keeps spending for 2024 at the same levels as 2023 and increases by 1% in 2025.

The agreement increases the age for work requirements for “able-bodied adults,” without children, from 49 to 54. However, veterans and people experiencing homelessness are exempt.

The deal also changes the National Environmental Policy Act, which will assign a single lead agency to develop environmental reviews to streamline the process.

“The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want,” Biden said.

“That’s the responsibility of governing.”

The president called the deal “good news for the American people because it prevents what could have been a catastrophic default and would have led to an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost.”

McCarthy acknowledged that the deal didn’t accomplish everything the GOP wanted.

However, he claimed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told him there was nothing in the bill for Democrats.

McCarthy alleged that Jeffries said, “There’s not one thing in the bill for Democrats.”

However, following the deal’s announcement, Jeffries tweeted his thanks to Biden for reaching an agreement.

Although the origins of Memorial Day trace back to the period following the Civil War, when some 620,000 soldiers lost their lives, the precise origins remain a source of controversy.

A Mega-fan’s Appreciation for Tina Turner’s Limitless Energy and Lessons of Survival

By ADAM KEALOHA CAUSEY

Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) - When Tina Turner died at age 83, I found myself drifting back to the fourth grade, to the day I truly discovered her voice.

I was on Thanksgiving break - bored - when I decided to rummage through my parents' old cassette tapes in search of entertainment.

What I found was astonishing: an album called "Private Dancer."

"I look up to the stars with my perfect memory. I look through it all and my future's no shock to me."

"Who was this magnificent woman?" I thought as the lyrics of the song "I Might Have Been Queen (Soul Survivor)," flowed through the headphones of my Walkman. "What had she been through?"

I quickly consulted an expert on the matter: my mom, who as a teenager in the '60s, had been listening to Tina since she first made hits with her then-husband Ike.

Mom, like Tina, didn't sugarcoat the superstar's history: Off-stage, Ike was beating her. It was something she herself - and most others - didn't know when she and Dad first went to see her live in the '70s.

It was shocking and sickening to hear. But Mom also shared Tina's triumphs, how she continued to mesmerize and dazzle fans despite the hell she endured. She recalled seeing Tina and her backing vocalists and dancers, the Ikettes, go so hard onstage that the ribbon ties of Tina's sandals, starting out near her calves, ended up around her ankles. The concert was wild. Rapturous.

I wanted to experience this. Five years later, I did.

In 1997, Mom and Dad loaded my siblings and me into our 1987 Chevy Suburban and made the five-hour drive from our home in Doyline, Louisiana, to The Woodlands, Texas, to catch Tina on her "Wildest Dreams" world tour.

I was hypnotized. The burst of sparkling, silver sequins onstage. The voice that could go from the deepest growl to a tender coo. The infectious smile and air kisses to the audience that made it seem like she really was happy we were all there. The kicks. The shimmies. The staccato steps as she worked the entire stage. As my uncle who had waited in line for hours to buy the tickets for our lawn seats would say after the show: "Kids, tonight you've been in the presence of greatness."

That night was also a moment of personal awakening. It

wasn't just an incredible performance from a Grammy winner and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; it was the crowd of thousands of fans of all ages, bigger and more diverse than any a young teen from a small, Southern town had ever seen. The fans were Black, white and even hapa (mixed-race) Hawaiians like us. Some were gay. Some were straight. I bet there were also both Republicans and Democrats, singing and twirling together in harmony to "Proud Mary."

The experience, I realized years later, was part of my parents' design to broaden my worldview. Tina helped them to do that.

In 2008, I was able to repay my parents for the gift they

had given me: I got us tickets to a San Jose, California, stop on Tina's farewell tour. Tina was nearing 70 at that point, but she still had the moves and the energy. Earlier this year, I took Mom and Dad to see "Tina: The Musical" in New Orleans during its post-Broadway run across the U.S. As a mega-fan enamored by Tina the artist, I have also had to come to grips with the jolting reality of Tina the woman - a real flesh and blood person who had a violent upbringing in a home with fighting parents and later endured the physical abuse of her own husband.

I was awed by the story of this woman who was brave enough to talk, with grace, about domestic violence long before the rest of society did. How she snuck out of a Dallas hotel room one night in the late '70s while Ike Turner was sleeping, hurried across a nearby highway and checked herself into a Ramada Inn with a Mobil credit card. She had 36 cents to her name.

Watching the 2021 documentary that Tina called her goodbye to the public, I also understood how she was retraumatized over the decades by interviewers who asked her to describe, again and again, how she got away from Ike, while overlooking greater career accomplishments that were disconnected from her exhusband. And that was on top of the racism and sexism she faced in the music industry.

As Angela Bassett, who played the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" in an Oscar-nominated turn in "What's Love Got to Do With It" said in the documentary, "It's hard when the worst parts of your life have been an inspiration."

Bassett is right, and that's complicated.

I live in Dallas. So, it felt not only right, but necessary, after I heard about Tina's death, to make my way to the old Ramada Inn where she famously and heroically reclaimed her life. I strolled into the lobby of what is now the boutique Lorenzo Hotel, said hi to a handful of other fans who were passing through, and approached the giant, arresting photo of Tina that hangs there, exuding all the confidence and attitude she's earned: fishnet stockings, big hair and a look that says, "Don't test me." I reflected on the many moments of my life when Tina had inspired me, including this year when I ran a marathon and cranked up "Proud Mary" on my phone as my energy was draining during the last 2 miles.

In my hand was an orange-and-yellow rose - the shade that one of Queen Elizabeth II's rose growers had famously named after Tina - that I had plucked from a bouquet a thoughtful friend bought me when Tina died. I smiled and tucked the bloom into a cleft in the portrait's ornate frame.

At 40, I had finally answered the burning question my 10-year-old self had asked and that Mom had tried to answer: I knew who that magnificent woman was, and what she had been through. And I knew that the lyrics to "I Might Have Been Queen" not only spoke to her ability to endure, but her belief in reincarnation. Beautiful, Tina. For me, you will always live on.

Arlo Parks Wishes Her Eyes Were Still Wide on New Album ‘My Soft Machine’ Music Review:

By JIM POLLOCK

Associated Press

"My Soft Machine," by Arlo Parks (Transgressive)

Britpop artist Arlo Parks approaches her work as a poet, laying incisive lyrics over a murkily cozy lo-fi hiphop. On her second album, "My Soft Machine," Parks balances childlike wonder with personal trauma and disappointment. The opening track, "Bruiseless," sets the mood expertly with the line, "I just wish that my eyes were still wide."

Since the release of her 2018 single, "Cola," Parks has produced a steady stream of stories told with disarming warmth and honesty. Her debut album, "Collapsed in Sunbeams," composed during quarantine, is a striking document of time spent inside her room and her mind. On the new release, she retains her inviting, catchy vibe, but starts to venture outside both thematically and musically.

In interviews, Park says that she has come to know exactly what she wants. On "My Soft Machine," Parks stays true to her DIY foundations, but, as a producer on the recording, she has expanded her sound. The exploration taps a broad range of influences - musicians such as Portishead, Elliott Smith and Joni Mitchell, as well

as a precise focus on mood inspired by visual artists such as photographer Nan Goldin and filmmaker David Lynch.

Overall, Parks offers a lusher sound than on past recordings. The vocals at times skirt the edge of overproduction, but her unique delivery is preserved by frequent shifts from singing to spoken work. Parks delivers some of the most personal lines by pronouncing them softly and deliberately.

On the third track, "Devotion," Parks pushes beyond her familiar lo-fi loops into a noisier guitar-driven swirl, even name-checking the Breeders' Kim Deal in the song. Hot on its heels comes "Blades," which features an irresistible hook that sounds as though it bounced around the universe for a thousand years before Parks captured it.

The track "Pegasus" features Phoebe Bridgers on supporting vocals. Their voices mesh readily and the pair repeat the line "I think you're special 'cause you told me" in what may be the most cautiously optimistic song in either of their respective catalogs. Bridgers has a passionate fan base that is set to explode in her summer tours with Boygenius and Taylor Swift. This collaboration promises to expose Parks to some of that audience stateside.

Parks

CBS is Television’s Most Popular Network for 15th Straight Year

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - CBS claimed the distinction of most-watched television network for the 15th straight year, even as those bragging rights don’t mean what they used to.

The network averaged just under 6 million viewers on a typical moment in prime time for the season that just concluded, the Nielsen company said on Friday. NBC was the second most popular, followed by Fox and ABC - the same pecking order as last year.

All of the networks lost viewers from the year before, with NBC’s 13% decline the steepest and Fox’s 1% drop the

smallest, Nielsen said.

CBS’ winning streak began in a different era, back when the mention of streaming or cord-cutting would earn a quizzical look. Its viewership average during that 2008-09 season was 11.75 million, nearly double what it was this year.

In comparison, ABC and Fox both lost more than half of their live viewers from the 2008-09 season, while NBC was down 33% from that time, when it was at an ebb, Nielsen said.

Quite simply, viewers have far more choices today and are accustomed to creating their own entertainment schedules. The broadcast networks also benefit from that; CBS said that within 35 days, a typical episode of “CSI: Vegas” more than

doubles its viewership from the night it first airs.

But, increasingly, live events like sports are what brings viewers to network television. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the most popular program this past season, averaging 18.5 million live viewers, Nielsen said.

“Sunday Night Football” first aired on NBC in 2006.

Longevity was a key component in other popular shows. The most-watched drama on the night it first airs, CBS’ “NCIS,” has been on the network’s schedule since 2003. The most popular comedy, CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” first aired in 2017, but it was a spinoff from “The Big Bang Theory,” which began a decade earlier.

The most-watched news program in prime time, CBS’ “60 Minutes,” has been on the air since 1968. The mostwatched reality show, NBC’s “The Voice,” began in 2011. All but two of the 10 most-watched scripted shows were dramas. “Young Sheldon” and CBS’ “Ghosts” were the two exceptions.

CBS had seven of the 10 most popular scripted shows. The others were producer Dick Wolf’s “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D.” trilogy on NBC.

Arlo

The Fear of Artificial Intelligence is Real

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is here to stay, whether anyone likes it or not.

But alarm bells have sounded everywhere about the havoc it’s caused and will ultimately cause on jobs and quality of life.

Now, the founder of AI has joined others in warning of a catastrophic future.

Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called godfather of AI, said it’s difficult to envision how to stop nefarious characters from using artificial intelligence for evil.

“It’s hard to see,” Hinton told reporters this week.

He said that as AI develops, it’s likely to threaten humans.

The World Economic Forum, which concluded that AI is “rife with contradictions,” published an alarming report in April, which included surveys of more than 800 companies.

The companies determined that AI would create 69 million new jobs by 2027 but eliminate 83 million.

Before that report, economists at Goldman Sachs said up to 300 million full-time jobs globally would eventually become automated because of AI platforms like ChatGPT.

The economists noted that white-collar workers face the most risk, with construction workers and many other blue-collar jobs remaining unaffected.

The economists stated that two-thirds of U.S. and European jobs now use some form of AI automation.

Still, the forum conceded that AI “is a powerful tool that is also surprisingly limited in terms of its current capabilities.”

Recent advances in AI technologies have generated excitement and concern, as the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) acknowledged. “As researchers who have served in leadership positions in the AAAI, we are writing to provide a balanced perspective on managing the progress in the field,” the group said in a letter.

“We also seek to broaden and strengthen the community of engaged researchers, government agencies, private companies, and the public at large to ensure

that society is able to reap the great promise of AI while managing its risks.”

Signed by 19 academic leaders, the letter noted that AAAI is “aware of the limitations and concerns about AI advances, including the potential for AI systems to make errors, to provide biased recommendations, to threaten our privacy, to empower bad actors with new tools, and to have an impact on jobs.”

They asserted that researchers in AI and across multiple disciplines are hard at work identifying and developing ways to address these shortcomings and risks while strengthening the benefits and identifying positive applications.

In some cases, AI technology itself can be applied to create trusted oversight and guardrails to reduce or eliminate failures, the group insisted.

“The idea that this stuff could actually get smarter than people — a few people believed that,” Hinton stated when asked whether he thought AI would have such an immediate impact.

“But most people thought it was way off. And I

thought it was way off. I thought it was 30 to 50 years or even longer away. Obviously, I no longer think that.”

Meanwhile, journalists have acknowledged some fear over AI.

The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) recently quoted experts who said that the biggest flaw in a “large language model” like ChatGPT is that, while it is capable of mimicking human writing, it has no real understanding of what it is writing about, and so it frequently inserts errors and flights of fancy that some have referred to as “hallucinations.”

CJR reported that Colin Fraser, a data scientist at Meta, wrote, “The central quality of this type of model is that they are incurable, constant, shameless bullsh–ters. Every single one of them. It’s a feature, not a bug.”

And Gary Marcus, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at New York University, has likened this kind of software to “a giant autocomplete machine.”

NAACP Issues a Florida Travel Advisory

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The NAACP Board of Directors has issued a formal travel advisory for the state of Florida.

According to a news release from the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, the travel advisory comes in direct response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”

The formal travel notice states, “Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.

“Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said he wanted the message to resonate.

“Let me be clear – failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to

students and a dereliction of duty to all,” Johnson stated.

“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon,” he continued.

“He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We’re not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation.”

According to the release, the travel advisory was initially proposed to the Board of Directors by NAACP’s Florida State Conference.

NAACP’s collective consideration of the advisory is a result from unrelenting attacks on fundamental freedoms from the Governor and his legislative body, the organization asserted.

Following DeSantis’ ordering the state to reject students’ access to AP African American studies course in March, the NAACP distributed 10,000 books to 25 predominantly Black communities across the state in collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers’

Reading Opens the World program.

Most of the books donated were titles banned under the state’s increasingly restrictive laws.

The NAACP vowed to continue to encourage local branches and youth councils to start community libraries to ensure access to representative literature.

The organization said in the release that it has encouraged all Florida residents to join the effort to defeat the “regressive policies of this Governor and this state legislature.”

“Once again, hate-inspired state leaders have chosen to put politics over people. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida have engaged in a blatant war against principles of diversity and inclusion and rejected our shared identities to appeal to a dangerous, extremist minority,” said Chair of the NAACP Board of Directors, Leon Russell.

“We will not allow our rights and history to be held hostage for political grandstanding,” Russell stated.

“The NAACP proudly fights against the malicious attacks in Florida, against Black Americans. I encourage my fellow Floridians to join in this fight to protect ourselves

and our democracy.”

The NAACP asked that interested residents and supporters visit www.naacp.org for additional information and updates.

Lifetime Rates of Depression in Black and Brown Communities Surpass Whites, Others

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

A new Gallup study released on May 17 shows that the lifetime depression rates of Black and Hispanic adults are rising quickly and have now passed those of white adults.

Gallup found that white people have always had slightly higher rates of both lifetime and current depression, but African Americans and Hispanics now suffer the most.

Overall, 29% of U.S. adults acknowledge a depression diagnosis at some point, almost ten percentage points more than in 2015.

Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index says that the number of Americans who have depression or are currently receiving treatment has increased by about seven points in the same period to 17.8%.

Both rates are the highest that Gallup has seen since it started tracking depression with the current method in 2015.

The Gallup Panel surveyed 5,167 U.S. adults from Feb. 21 to Feb. 28 to get the most current results.

The panel comprises about 100,000 adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Questions included, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression,” and “Do you currently have depression, or are you being treated for it?”

Over one-third of women (36.7%), compared to 20.4% of men, say they have been diagnosed with depression at some point. Since 2017, the rate of depression in women has risen almost twice as fast as in men.

Individuals 18 to 29 (34.3%) and between 30 and 44 (34.9%) are diagnosed with depression at much higher rates than people over 44. The highest rates of current depression or treatment for depression are also among women (23.8%) and people ages 18 to 29 (24.6%).

Compared to 2017 projections, these two groups have the fastest-rising rates (up 6.2% and 11.6%, respectively).

Adults aged 30–44 also have the fastest-rising rates.

Depression is not just a problem in the U.S.

Around the world, 4 in 10 adults aged 15 or older have severe depression or anxiety or know someone who does.

According to other Gallup research, 22% of adults in Northern America have had depression or anxiety so badly that they couldn’t do their normal daily activities for two weeks or longer.

Gallup researchers said that’s about the same as the global rate of 19% and the same as the rates in Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. clinical sadness rate grew slowly.

After the pandemic, however, it went up by a significant amount.

Researchers said social isolation, loneliness, fear of infection, mental exhaustion (especially among first responders like health care workers), increased drug use, and problems with mental health services may have played a role.

Even though the number of people who feel very

lonely every day has decreased in the past two years due to widespread vaccinations and a slow return to normalcy, increased loneliness during the pandemic was likely a significant factor in the rise of long-term depression.

Currently, 17% of adults in the U.S. say they were very lonely “yesterday,” which adds up to an estimated 44 million people.

Women have always reported much higher amounts of depression than men have in subgroups, researchers said.

This gap has gotten a lot bigger since 2017, likely due to several COVID-related factors, such as women being more likely to lose their jobs or stop working altogether, partly because the pandemic kept kids from going to school or daycare.

In 2019, 78% of all healthcare workers were women, putting them at a higher risk for emotional and mental problems because of the pandemic.

Conversely, young people are more likely to be single and to say they are lonely, especially during the pandemic.

Experts said young people also need more time with others to boost their happiness than older adults do.

COVID-19 has a direct effect on this.

Those under 30 and individuals with lower incomes are more likely to feel sad, worried, or angry every day, which are all symptoms of depression, the researchers found.

Women, young adults, and people of color were also more likely to lose their jobs entirely because of the pandemic.

Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called godfather of AI, said it’s difficult to envision how to stop nefarious characters from using artificial intelligence for evil.

Andrew Young Speaks Out on Atlanta Child Murders Case: ‘I Knew Wayne Williams’

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

More than 40 years ago, the Atlanta Child Murders case rocked the nation, bringing the city to a scary standstill.

The killings began in 1979, just two years after the infamous Son of Sam murders in New York had commanded the nation’s attention.

In the end, 29 victims, including 22 children, had been killed.

Two victims were girls, six were adult men, and 21 were boys.

All of them were Black, nearly all were from low-income families, and each was beaten and strangled.

Wayne Williams, a freelance photographer, has served 41 years after being convicted of murdering two of the adult victims.

Authorities closed the case with a strong belief that Williams killed all 29.

Last year, former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ordered authorities to reopen the case, and the city’s police department extracted two DNA samples which they sent to a facility in Utah for testing.

The results still haven’t been released, and Williams’ new attorney, Janis Mann, said answers are hard to achieve.

“We have absolutely no evidence as to what has been uncovered,” she told an Atlanta television station.

“I asked the city, Atlanta Police, and the District Attorney’s office about the samples, and they told me so far, no official report is available.”

And while Williams and the victims’ families await word, former U.S. Ambassador and ex-Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young offered some observations.

Young served as mayor for two terms beginning on Jan. 4, 1982.

His swearing-in occurred just eight months after the final victim, 27-year-old Nathaniel Cater, was killed and only two days before Williams’ criminal trial began.

On Feb. 27, 1982, after deliberating for 12 hours, a jury found Williams guilty of murdering Cater and 21-year-old Jimmy Payne.

While not charged with the other murders, investigators concluded that Williams was responsible for all the killings.

Judge Clarence Cooper sentenced Williams to life behind bars.

“I knew the boy they arrested,” Young said of Williams during an exclusive interview.

“I had known [Williams] since he was 12 or 13.”

Young said he met a young Wayne Williams during his run for Congress at the beginning of the 1970s, or less than a decade before the first murder.

“I went to his school, and he came up to me while he was in the eighth grade and asked if he could interview me,” Young recalled.

He said Williams had built a radio station in his home that earned him a science prize at school.

“He told me his house was right across the street,” Young remembered. After some back and forth over logistics, including whether such an interview would disturb Williams’ elderly parents, Young agreed to the sit-down.

He said he recalled the makeshift station being “illegal.”

Still, because Williams was a child who had won an award for his invention, authorities didn’t view the station as problematic until later when Williams did other “illegal” things.

“The room had a separate entrance around the back,” Young recalled.

“He set up a card table and placed a microphone between

him and me, and two other people were in the room for the interview. I had realized that his parents, who were teachers, didn’t know about the setup.” Young later surmised that Williams had operated from that space for “quite some time.”

During the child murders’ investigation, Young acknowledged that he remained on the sidelines as he ran for mayor.

“I didn’t say anything, but there were things that made me think he could do this,” Young insisted.

“I remember one of the city council members who knew him well said she was at his house when he was still in high school. Wayne’s dad was about six-feet-one or six-feet-two, and [Williams] knocked his daddy down on the couch and sat on him. He went through his pockets, took his keys, and said, ‘I told

you I was going to use the car tonight.’”

Young said Williams “was on his own” because his parents were senior citizens.

Tellingly, he said he believed Williams capable of murder.

“I know the bridge where they found a body,” Young asserted. “That was all reasonable.”

Finally, he noted his confidence in the investigation despite rampant rumors suggesting involvement by the Ku Klux Klan or law enforcement.

“You had a Black police commissioner and a Black police chief,” Young stated.

“Then you have two mayors, and all of us had children like the child victims, who were all between 10 and 15. So, yes, I think [Williams] was capable.”

Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young said he believes convicted killer Wayne Williams was capable of the Atlanta Child Murders. (Wikimedia Commons)

Dodgers Win Back to Back

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer

A deep lineup was not necessarily the Dodgers’ strong suit when the month of May began. Will Smith and J.D. Martinez had spent much of April battling injuries. Jason Heyward struggled to keep his batting average above .200. In May Smith has emerged in an awesome way , Martinez is in a groove and Heywood is on fire.

Flash forward to this week. After beating the Washington Nationals, 9-3, before an announced crowd of 46,571 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers have essentially transformed their identity in the span of a month.

Now, with injuries to Julio Urías and Dustin May robbing the team of two of its best pitchers, the lineup appears to be picking up the slack. Entering the final day of May, the Dodgers are averaging 6.2 runs per game this month – a big step up from their 5.0 runs per game on the final day of April.

“You look around and there’s four or five guys on any given night who can hurt you, who can carry the load,” Martinez said.

“Someone seems to step up every night. It takes a lot of pressure off everybody else.”

Megan Faraimo Signs with Athletes Unlimited Softball

By Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer UCLA Super pitcher Megan Faraimo, who was selected second overall in the 2023 Athletes Unlimited Softball Draft, has signed to compete in the 2023 AUX and Championship Softball seasons. Faraimo is a two-time USA Softball College Player of the Year and two-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year (2023, 2022). Her name is etched into the UCLA record books for:

Single-season saves (1st – 7)

Career strikeouts (3rd – 968)

Career wins (6th – 96)

She was the 2023 PAC-12 pitcher of the Year, going 29- 3. She was also named to the USA Softball Women’s National Team for the WBSC World Cup, which will be held July 11-15 in Dublin, Ireland.

Faraimo joins fellow draftee Sydney McKinney out of Wichita State, who signed last week with the league.

AUX begins on June 12, followed by the fourth Championship season, which begins July 28 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill.

Martinez and Freddie Freeman hit home runs to extend their long hitting streaks – 19 games for Freeman, 14 for Martinez – in support of starter Tony Gonsolin. Heyward also homered in a game the Dodgers never trailed on the way to their 13th win in their past 14 home games.

Freeman had four of the Dodgers’ 12 hits as a team. Heyward (2 for 2), Muncy (2 for 5) and Mookie Betts (2 for 5) made the top of the lineup especially formidable on a healthy night off for Smith.

Freeman was thrown out trying to stretch a single to a double, but his eighth-inning homer extended his franchise record for extra-base hits in a month (24). Freeman has 13 multihit games during his hitting streak and is batting .449 (35 for 78) during that span with 21 RBIs.

“I’ve been feeling pretty good at the plate,” Freeman said. “Just trying to keep it simple, not overthink things, trying to take what they give me, and I’ve been getting results obviously the last few weeks.”

Tony Gonsolin held Washington to one run over six efficient innings despite allowing plenty of hard contact. The Nationals sent four balls to the warning track in center field that landed in James Outman’s glove for an out. They hit eight balls at 100 mph

or harder. They didn’t strike out until the fifth inning. Thanks to some slick plays in the field and a forgiving marine layer above the Dodger Stadium outfield, Gonsolin allowed only three hits – all in the third inning. That led to the lone run he allowed, when Gonsolin also hit Jeimer Candelario with a slider to load the bases ahead of an RBI single by Joey Meneses.

“I felt like from pitch number one, I wasn’t super sharp today,” Gonsolin said. “I was really fortunate to have an awesome defense today. That’s what kept me in the ballgame.”

By allowing one run over six innings, Tony  Gonsolin (31) lowered his ERA to 1.77. The right-hander had thrown more than 70 pitches in all but one of his first six starts this season, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts elected to bring in left-hander Alex Vesia for the seventh inning.

Vesia’s first major league inning since May 2 (and his first appearance since he threw two pitches in a Triple-A game on Saturday) was a disaster. He allowed a home run to Keibert Ruiz on his first pitch. A double by Lane Thomas, followed by an RBI single by Luis Garcia, narrowed the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3.

The Dodgers (34-22) maintained their 1½-game lead (at press time. over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks (32-23) in the National League West.

Pac-12 Sends Three Teams to WCWS

By Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer

After a wild weekend of NCAA Super Regionals, the Pac12 Conference will have three of the eight teams in this year’s Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City this week.

Washington Huskies

The University of Washington hosted a Super Regional and defeated Louisiana with a two-game sweep. It’s the 15th time the Huskies will head to OKC. It’s the 8th under head coach Heather Carr.

After an 8-0 run rule over the Ragin’ Cajuns (50-16) in the first game, the Huskies had it tougher the second time around. Lindsey Lopez (13-3) threw six scoreless innings striking out seven, scattering seven hits. Ruby Meylan pitched a hitless seventh to earn her 7th save of the year.

In the sixth inning, Avery Hobson came in to pinch run for Baylee Klinger who had singled. She made it to second on a single by Sami Reynolds and went to third on a fielder’s choice. Then Madison Huskey (Gahr High) hit a sac-fly to center that scored Hopson for a 1-0 lead.

In the seventh, Brooklyn Carter (Notre Dame) pinch ran for Kelley Lynch. She went to second on a fielder’s choice, then to third on a passed ball. The Inglewood native then stole home to give U-Dub a 2-0 lead.

The Huskies (43-13) will take on Pac-12 Tournament Champions Utah in the first game on Thursday in OKC. The two teams split the season series winning two games each in April.

Utah Utes

Utah reached the WCWS by taking two of three from San Diego State. After falling 4-3 in the first game, the Utes outscored the Aztecs 17-3 to capture the Super Regionals. They came away with wins of 10-1 and 7-2 to earn the first trip to the WCWS since 1994.

“I wanted it so bad,” said Utah pitcher Maria Lopez (23-6). “It was a great team effort and they all had my back.”

The last time Utah was in the WCWS, head coach Ann Hogue was on the team.

“This team earned it,” said Hogue. “This is for all the teams that came before them.”

Stanford Cardinal Stanford punched its ticket by winning the Durham Regional with consecutive victories over the host team Duke.

In the first game, it was Kaitlyn Lim’s (Hart High- Newhall) two-run double in the fifth that fueled a late rally. That was backed by another dominant performance by ‘super’ freshman Najaree Canady (16-1). The number nine seed Cardinal edged No. 8 Duke 3-1.

Lim’s hit allowed Emily Jones (Westlake High) and Emily Shultz to score, putting the Cardinals up 2-1. It also broke up a no-hitter by Duke’s Cassidy Curd (18-2).

Later in the sixth, it was Lim again who knocked home Elle Eck for an insurance run, putting the Cardinal up 3-1 and that’s

how it would end. In game two, Taylor Gindlesberger went 3 for 4 scoring two runs, helping the Cardinals finish the series. In the fifth, Kyle Young and Sydney Steele had RBI singles. A two-run single from Dani Hayes plated Kaitlyn Lim and Rachael Schultz. Alana Vawter (20-8) went four innings scattering five hits,

giving up two earned runs while tossing 65 pitches. Canady came in the final three frames, surrendering just one hit, striking out four and earning her third save of the season.

The Cardinals (45-13) have won four straight postseason games and will head to OKC to take on defending National Champions Oklahoma (56-1,18-0) riding a national record 48game win streak.

Some 48 hours after winning the Super Regional win, Canady was named to the first ever All-Freshman team. “It’s quite an honor,” said the Topeka, Kansas native. “But I could not have done it without my teammates.”

The Women’s College World Series will begin on Thursday, June 2 and will run through June 9. The championship game will be played on June 9.

UCLA Standout Megan Faraimo signs for AUX, Championship season (Courtesy Photo)

City of Inglewood-74th Annual Memorial Day Service

By Ricky Richardson Contributing Writer

(Inglewood, CA)- A large crowd gathered on the South Lawn of Inglewood City Hall on Monday, May 29, 2023. The ceremony began at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Memorial Obelisk Monument at One Manchester Boulevard.

The occasion was the City of Inglewood 74th Annual Memorial Day Service. 74th Annual Memorial Day Service recognizes past and present war heroes while honoring men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives while servicing the United States Armed Forces.

The weather was overcast, with a pleasant chill on this solemn day of remembrance and reflection.

Veterans, their family and the community joined Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr., Councilmembers Gloria D. Gray, District 1; Alex Padilla, District 2; Eloy Morales Jr., District 3; and Dionne Faulk, District 4. Captain Dee Bernardo represented the Inglewood Police Department. State Senator Steven Bradford, SD-35, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters, CD-43 was also in attendance.

Star Manning, Jr. Vice Commander, VFW Post 2122 served as Mistress of Ceremony. The Presentation of Colors, the American Legion Auxiliary, Jackie Robinson Post Unit 252 and

the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Invocation by Henry Brown, Chaplain Emeritus, American Legion Post 578. Elliott McKenzie, U.S. Marine Corps Iraq War Veteran/R&B Singer and Songwriter showcased his beautiful voice on three selections throughout the program.

“Star Spangled Banner,” “America The Beautiful,” and “God Bless America” to the delight of all in attendance.

This writer was honored to take part in the Recognition of Veterans. Each Veteran introduced him/herself to the crowd, stated their branch of Military, rank and years served.

Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Senator Steven Bradford delivered warm remarks.

Billy R. Zinnerman, Sergeant Major USMC (retired) keynote speaker for the Memorial Day Address. The speech was funny as he shared how he initially became a Marine. Mr. Zinnerman speech was encouraging and inspiring.

Commendations and Special Recognitions were presented. La Brea Heights Service Unit Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles assisted in Placing of Memorial Flowers at the Memorial Obelisk Monument.

The program concluded with Benediction, Reverend Curtis Gould, Chaplain, American Legion Post 578, Retire the Colors, American Legion Auxiliary Jackie Robinson Unit 252

Color Guard, followed by the playing of Taps.

Thank You was extended to various local and community based organizations involved in the ceremony.

American Legion Auxiliary Jackie Robinson Unit 252 Color Guard

Billy R. Zinnerman, Sergeant Major USMC (retired)

Elliott McKenzie, U.S. Marine Corps Iraq War Veteran/ R&B Singer and Songwriter

Gerry Blake, VFW Post 2122

Lamont Duncan, VFW Post 2122

Henry Brown, American Legion Post 578

Jerry Givens, Musical Director La Brea Heights Service Unit of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

Reverend Curtis Gould, American Legion Post 578

Participating Organizations

Mother’s Gold Star

American Legion Chappie James Post 578

American Legion Jackie Robinson Post 252

American Legion Auxiliary Jackie Robinson Post National Veterans Affairs Foreign Wars

Sons of the American Legion Veteran’s Foreign Wars Post 2122

Congresswoman Maxine Waters and La Bea Heights Service Unit of Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

(Photo by Ricky Richardson)

Star Manning, USMC, Councilmembers Eloy Morales, Jr., Dionne Faulk, Mayor James T. Butts, Jr., Billy R. Zinnerman, and Sergeant Major USMC (Retired), Councilmembers Gloria D. Gray, Alex

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr., and Star Manning, USMC (Photo by Ricky Richardson)

Posting of Colors, American Legion Auxiliary Jackie Robinson Unit 252 Color Guard (Photo by Ricky Richardson)