Los Angeles News Observer 12.22.22

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LA Mayor Karen Bass Taps Hotel Rooms as Estimated 40,000 People are Homeless

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The new mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, said Sunday her administration will start moving homeless people from tent encampments into hotels and motels through a new program that launches Tuesday.

Bass told NBC’s “Meet the Press” host, Chuck Todd, that her plan to move homeless people into rooms immediately will not “address everybody, but it is going to address, hopefully, a significant number.” She said people will not be forced to move, but that sanitation crews will stand by to clean up areas after people have left.

“But this is not coercing people. This is not ticketing people or incarcerating people. This is moving people from tents to hotels or motels,” she said.

On her first day as mayor of Los Angeles, Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness. She vowed to get people housed and more housing built so that residents can see a real difference, which hasn’t been visible despite

billions spent on programs to curb homelessness, including $1.2 billion in the current city budget.

Bass, a Democrat and former congresswoman, has said she intends to get over 17,000 homeless people into housing in her first year through a mix of interim and permanent facilities.

An estimated 40,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles, a city of nearly 4 million. Homelessness is hugely visible throughout California with people living in tents and cars and sleeping outdoors on sidewalks and under highway overpasses.

Bass said outreach workers will try to coax people indoors. People are homeless for a variety of reasons, including mental illness, addiction and job loss.

The mayor’s office did not provide on Sunday details of the housing program, including what it would cost and where the money would come from.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom first launched the idea

of placing homeless people in motel and hotel rooms at the start of the pandemic in 2020. He has since encouraged cities and counties to convert motels and other buildings into housing for homeless people.

Advocates for the homeless have welcomed the use of motel rooms, where people can have their own bathroom far away from the clutter of congregated shelters. But they have criticized what they call “sweeps” of encampments that force people to move and separate them from their belongings in the absence of a firm motel room offer.

Todd asked Bass how to judge her success on eliminating homelessness.

“Encampments should be significantly down if not eliminated, and there should be housing being built, underway, at a much more rapid pace,” she said. “And there should not be 40,000 people who are unhoused, that’s for sure.”

Renewing Cultural Memory, Movement & Momentum KWANZAA

By Bakari Sanyu

What African heritage tradition functions to renew and strengthen the intertwined, cherished, and indivisible values of family, community, and culture in a rich and meaningful way? Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26th to January 1st, provides a designated time to collectively celebrate our ancestral origin and to share the riveting beauty of African culture, its values, insights, and instructive practices so we can deeply rejuvenate our lives, families, and community for mutual flourishing and benefit.

The annual tradition functions to rejuvenate our cultural memory around the necessity, urgency, and priority of continuing, maintaining, and expanding our collective uplift Movement, so we can propel the momentum of our actions and deeds forward in an organized manner. The Kwanzaa season serves as a vehicle for people of African descent to gather and express their ethnicity in the collective richness and festive cultural ambiance of enriching ethnic art, dance, poetry, folktales, music, cuisine, literature, and in the beauty of heritage clothing, heirlooms, hairstyles, jewelry, crafts, and expansive creative productions.

The Kwanzaa cultural tradition was created and framed by Dr. Maulana Karenga in Los Angeles, California within the midst and context of the 1960’s African American

Freedom Movement. And as the creator of Kwanzaa, Dr. Maulana Karenga is the author of the definitive text on its origins, principles, practices, symbols, and meaning. Take time to learn and relearn more information about Kwanzaa and then share the beauty of its values, insights, and instructive practices throughout our community. The cultural publication is readily available at www. sankorepress.com and a comprehensive reading will provide considerable detailed explanations.

The name Kwanzaa comes from the Kiswahili phrase, matunda ya kwanza, where matunda means “fruits”, and ya kwanza means “first”. Dr. Karenga added the extra “a” to the Kiswahili word kwanza, to distinguish the cultural tradition’s name. The language of Kiswahili was chosen for the name Kwanzaa and all accompanying phrases, because it is the most widely spoken African continental trade language used among African countries. And the year-end observance of Kwanzaa occurs because this cultural expression is derived from the African continent’s traditional year-end agricultural harvest celebrations.

Since the 1960’s African American families and communities across the USA, have presented Kwanzaa, and the cultural celebration has spread all around the world. Kwanzaa is now evident in North, Central, and South America, throughout the Caribbean Islands, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the cultural expression is observed worldwide by over 60 million people of African descent. This beautiful cultural model of possibility and cultural excellence created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, reminds our communities that we have the have the capacity, duty, and wherewithal to change the prevailing conditions of our lives with cultural memory, if we diligently practice cultural values, focused priorities, organization, commitment, and continuous empowered action.

Kwanzaa serves to restore and reinforce rootedness in our African heritage, culture, and consciousness, as well as functions to strengthen, maintain, and reaffirm our interconnected family, community, and cultural bonds.

The cultural expression brings us together from various countries, classes, ages, generations, religious traditions, and political persuasions to focus on and recommit to develop, contribute to, maintain, continue, manifest, uplift, preserve, expand, and propel forward much more

cultural memory, Movement, and momentum for our future generations.

Kwanzaa honors the moral responsibility and awesome obligation to remember our Ancestors, who through their love, labor, and struggle, laid the foundation for us and pushed our lives and history forward, and on whose collective shoulders we now stand. The thrust of the cultural celebration is to continually strive to

Man Gets Two Years for Threatening Black Shoppers

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) – A suburban Seattle man was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for threatening to shoot Black customers at grocery stores in Buffalo, New York, and at businesses in other states.

Joey George of Lynnwood pleaded guilty in November to making interstate threats and the hate crime of interference with a federally protected activity, The Daily Herald reported.

As part of a plea agreement George 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.

According to the plea agreement, George started making calls in July _ telling staff at one store to “take him seriously” as he was “preparing to shoot all Black customers.” One store closed.

In May, a man massacred 10 Black shoppers and employees and hurt several others at Tops Friendly Supermarket in Buffalo. A 19-year-old white man, Payton Gendron, has pleaded guilty to murder and hatemotivated terrorism charges, guaranteeing he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

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

His calls to businesses in other states also involved threats to Black people and in one case, Hispanic people, prosecutors said.

“What he did in this case was deplorable,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Woods said at sentencing Friday. George’s public defender, Mohammad Hamoudi, said his client has autism and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after a traumatic, abusive childhood that caused him to disassociate from reality.

While at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, George has been seeing a psychologist, Hamoudi said.

In court Friday, George said he regrets his actions.

“What I did was wrong, and there is no excuse,” he said. “And I feel bad for the people that I scared.”

U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez sentenced George to two years, the middle of the sentencing guidelines range. He called George’s actions “nothing other than terrorizing to the victims on the other end of those calls.”

Martinez also said the case shows the need for more mental health care.

“The fact that intellectually disabled people with severe mental health challenges end up in courtrooms and courthouses, rather than in places where they can be taken care of and perhaps helped, is one of the most difficult things in today’s society,” the judge said.

Eddie Murphy to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at Golden Globes

NEW YORK (AP) – Eddie Murphy will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 80th Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Wednesday.

The honorary award for the comedian and actor adds to a broadcast that’s taking shape after two years of scandal and backlash tarnished the Globes. After taking the previous Globes off the air, NBC will telecast the ceremony Tuesday, Jan. 10, with comedian Jerrod Carmichael hosting.

On a one-year deal with NBC, the Globes are attempting to make a comeback after a Los Angeles Times investigation in early 2021 found that the press association then had no Black members and enumerated a long history of ethical indiscretions. Many stars and studios said they would boycott the show, and NBC canceled the 2022 broadcast.

The films “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” led in nominations to the Globes announced Monday. “Abbott Elementary” topped TV nominees.

Murphy has been nominated for a Globe six times before, winning once, for his performance in 2006’s “Dreamgirls.” His most recent nomination was for best actor in a comedy or musical for 2019’s “Dolemite is My Name.” Previous honorees for the Cecil B. DeMille Award include Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep.

Man Admits Hate Crimes for Black Lives Matter Threats

DETROIT (AP) – A man from Saginaw pleaded guilty to hate crimes for intimidating and attempting to intimidate people who were speaking out and protesting in support of Black Lives Matter, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Kenneth Pilon, 61, entered the plea to two hate crime charges in federal district court, the Justice Department said. Pilon is due to be sentenced on March 23, 2023.

Pilon was accused of calling nine Starbucks stores in Michigan and telling the employees answering his calls to relay racial threats to Starbucks employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Pilon also threatened to kill Black people, prosecutors said.

Pilon also pleaded guilty to placing a noose inside a vehicle with an attached note reading: “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!”

Pilon allegedly left the messages two days after Starbucks announced in 2020 that it would provide 250,000 Black Lives Matter T-shirts to employees who wanted to wear them during their shifts amid protests condemning the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Biden to Sign Measure Removing Dred Scott Judge’s Statue from U.S. Capitol

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The U.S. Capitol Building will no longer publicly display a statue of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, the author of the racist 1857 Dred Scott Decision. The U.S. House this week passed a bill that orders the removal of Taney’s statue. The bill declared that Taney’s actions “renders a bust of his likeness unsuitable for the honor of display to the many visitors to the Capitol.” The Dred Scott decision defended slavery and denied citizenship to African Americans. Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed the bill, which now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature. The legislation directs the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to remove the statue, which sits

inside the entrance to the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol. Officials have decided to replace Taney’s statue with one of Thurgood Marshall, the high court’s first Black justice. “The Dred Scott v. Sanford Supreme Court decision is a stain on our country’s history, and it was made under the Taney Court,” Congressman David Trone (D-Maryland) said when he and fellow Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer introduced the measure in 2020. “It’s time for us to remove this statue and denounce the institutions of slavery and racism once and for all. They have no place in the United States Capitol or anywhere in our country.” Hoyer added that a bust of Taney should not be displayed in a place of honor in the U.S. Capitol. “In Maryland, we made the decision to remove a statue of Taney from the State

House grounds, reflecting his shameful contribution to the evil system of slavery and its defense, and we ought to do the same here,” Hoyer reflected. “We are better than this, as our late colleague Elijah Cummings would say. It is time to make it clear to visitors from across our nation and from abroad that America celebrates champions of inclusion and equality, not proponents of hate and injustice.” The bill states that “while the removal of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s bust from the Capitol does not relieve the Congress of the historical wrongs it committed to protect the institution of slavery, it expresses Congress’s recognition of one of the most notorious wrongs to have ever taken place in one of its 19 rooms.”

The Aftermath of Warnock’s Georgia Runoff Victory is Less Than What Democrats Hoped

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Following Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s runoff victory over Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia, Democrats in the U.S. Senate and President Joe Biden breathe a collective sigh.

So did Vice President Kamala Harris, who figured she no longer had to hang around Washington when there were close votes in the Senate.

For two years, Harris acted as the tie-breaking vote in the evenly split upper chamber. As a result, she’s already participated in a record number of tie-breaking votes on legislation.

But two days after Warnock’s victory, Democrats came down to earth a bit when Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema declared that she’s switched parties and would be an Independent.

Suddenly, the 51-49 advantage for Democrats proved more of a 50-49 edge with Sinema in doubt.

Dreams of Democrats with majority control of Senate committees and members being able to quickly push through crucial federal court nominations appear dashed.

With Sinema’s defection, two years of West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin obstructing Biden’s agenda likely continues.

The rebellion also threatens Democrats’ chances of holding power in 2024 when Senate races occur in Republican-leaning states like West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana.

“This is the start of a two-year-long headache for

“I don’t envy what he is going to have to do to keep on board with the Democratic agenda, but as long as he keeps open the line of communication, it could work.”

Critics immediately seized on Sinema throwing cold water on Warnock’s win and Democrats’ hope.

After all, before Sinema’s sudden defection, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York remarked, “With 51 [Democratic Senators], we can go bolder and quicker – to show Americans what Democrats stand for.”

“Apparently, ‘independent’ is the new way to say, ‘corporate lobbyist,’” tweeted radio host Dean Obeidallah. “Sinema owes her entire career to the Democratic Party, she’s been endlessly indulged by party leadership, but she waits till a moment of celebration for the Democrats to make this announcement,” he said.

“Like I’ve said before, it goes way beyond politics or ideology — she’s just awful.”

Critics have pointed out that Sinema, along with Manchin, has acted against the interest of Democrats during the current 50-50 senate composition.

She opposed Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and stubbornly refused to help push through vital pieces of legislation by refusing to weaken archaic and racist filibuster rules.

Others have pointed out that while Republican Senators broke filibuster rules and pushed through U.S. Supreme Court judges for former President Donald Trump, Sinema has even suggested nominees at the judicial and administration levels require 60 Senate votes.

“America has no higher minimum wage, no extended child tax credits, and no voting rights protections because of Kyrsten Sinema,” Obeidallah asserted.

However, Schumer and Biden have insisted they can still count on Sinema.

“Kyrsten is independent; that’s how she’s always been,” Schumer said in a statement.

“I believe she’s a good and effective senator. I am looking forward to a productive session in the new

Democratic majority Senate,” continued Schumer, who previously called the prospect of a 51-49 majority “a world of difference.”

“We will maintain our new majority on committees, exercise our subpoena power, and be able to clear nominees without discharge votes,” Schumer pleaded.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested that Sinema’s flip would not affect the balance of power in the Senate or her working relationship with Biden.

“Sen. Sinema has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months,” Jean-Pierre said.

“We have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her.”

PBS News correspondent Lisa Desjardins tweeted that a Sinema spokesperson said Sinema “intends to maintain her committee assignments through the Democratic majority.”

Still, in the aftermath of Warnock’s win in Georgia, Democrats’ hold on the Senate remains tenuous, and Schumer expressed his understanding of that fact.

“There are a good number of Republicans in the Senate and the House who are not MAGA Republicans – who know that, if the Republican Party follows the hard right and the extreme members in their caucuses, they’ll continue to lose ground,” Schumer offered. “I intend to reach out to them and say, ‘How we can how can we work in a bipartisan way?’”

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Renewing Cultural Memory, Movement & Momentum KWANZAA

To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race This is a call to rise, focus, and purposely act and commit to persistently practice working harmoniously together in our family, community, and culture for collective empowerment.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

\To define ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined, named, created for, and spoken for by others

This is a call to persistently reclaim, value, respect, embrace, embody, and restore the best of our history, heritage, and culture so we can think for, empower, and work to develop ourselves according to our own dignity affirming needs and priorities.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

goodness, and inspiration as a way of life, so we can create a better and more beautiful world than what we have inherited.

Our cultural tradition functions as a source of collective identity, purpose, direction, and consciousness.

For as our esteemed Ancestor the honorable Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer taught, “there are two things we should always care about, never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over”. The message and meaning of Kwanzaa are intended to continually invigorate and preserve a cultural foundation for uplifting our family and community with self-defining and self-confirming bedrock principles derived from tradition, reason, and history.

5 Our esteemed Ancestor Dr. Frantz Fanon has said that we must ask ourselves three culturally rooted questions:

•Who Am I?

build, strengthen, maintain, and reaffirm our family, community, and cultural bonds with deliberate actions that expand more excellence, clarity, progress, trust, confidence, togetherness, productivity, cooperation, and empowerment. And the annual tradition reminds our community in its historical, geographical, and current diversity to continue to embrace, embody, build on, contribute to, maintain, manifest, and expand a dignified cultural legacy as a collective way of functioning in the world.

Our overall condition will change when enough individuals and families embrace, nurture, support, teach, and institutionalize self-knowledge to transform their self-image, as well as persistently work to intentionally practice more overarching cultural values. Manifest priorities to restore cultural names, decorate with selfreflective heritage imagery, and continually patronize our community newspaper and more Black businesses, so we can sustain a collective economic base. Join a grassroots community cultural organization and purposely act to be a dependable, financially contributing, focused, and committed Member (NOT a random drop-in, drop-by, drop-out, drop-off “best wishes for continued success”, half-in, half-out, loitering, peripheral, spectating, handwaving, idle bystander). The heart and soul of Kwanzaa revolves around Seven Principles. The Kiswahili term for all Seven Principles is the Nguzo Saba. This minimum set of ethical values addresses what cultural integrity challenges our community faces and how to successfully deal with the cultural challenges. The cultural tradition’s context is intended to reinvigorate the passion, necessity, urgency, and priority of propelling OUR story’s collective consciousness forward. There is one principle to focus on during each day of the 7-day cultural tradition. The Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) stated here in both Kiswahili and English, are as follows with brief explanations:

Umoja (Unity)

To build and maintain our community together and to make our sisters and brothers problems, our problems, and to solve them together

This is a call to commit to each other in destiny and duty, and to consistently work towards improving and better sustaining our family, community, cultural conditions and capacities, as well as future possibilities.

To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from together

This is a call to build, expand, and persistently patronize community vendors, stores, shops, businesses, entrepreneurs, and companies to establish a vital financial base for funding and sustaining more collective development.

Nia (Purpose)

To make as our collective vocation the building and developing of our community, in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness

This is a call to commit to an overarching dedication directed towards embracing, embodying, and practicing building more family, community, and cultural unity as a way of life, so we can restore widespread self-respect, progress, trust, wellbeing, and collective productivity.

Kuumba (Creativity)

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it

This is a call to introduce and develop original, innovative, and inventive productions that are always socially purposeful, dignified, regenerative, and uplifting.

Imani (Faith)

To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle

This is a call to rise and be a transformative agent of change and to manifest service, empathy, healing,

•Am I Really Who I Say I Am?

•Am I All That I Ought To Be?

The collective answers to these three questions will determine the extent of how each of us chooses to function as a cultural representative of our people throughout the year. Therefore, let’s work and apply our ethical cultural values, tell our unique complex narrative, present uplifting dignified self-imagery, promote positive social cohesion, and continually reject, challenge, and eliminate selfdestructive, self-debasing, and self-erasure conditioning behaviors which result from cultural alienation and historical amnesia. More importantly, remember that our year-round practice of the Nguzo Saba requires us to sustain a profound sense of kinship with and among each other. Do something purposeful, collective, dignified, dependably, and reoccurring in our community. Uplift, empower, and expand much more excellence, clarity, integrity, cultural knowledge restoration practices, community bonding involvement, focused organizing, cooperative wealth generation, independent cultural institution building work, skilled trades development, infrastructure ownership, and cultural liberation activities. We are our own Cultural Liberators, Ambassadors, and Advocates. There will be a Kwanzaa Celebration for our community-at-large on Thursday, December 29, 2022, from 1 pm to 5 pm, at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, located at 1000 S. Owens Street, Bakersfield, California. African heritage attire is strongly emphasized to proudly embody, honor, elevate, and support the essence, ambience, purpose, and ethnic imagery of our cultural tradition. Public Admission is FREE and our entire community is cordially invited to enjoy the festive cultural event.

Heri za Kwanzaa (Happy Kwanzaa)

Bakari Sanyu

Director, The Sankofa Collective A community-based cultural education organization Telephone Number: (661) 319-7611 email: bakari.sanyu@sbcglobal.net

Sen. Schumer,” Jim Manley, a former top aide to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), told The Hill.

Entertainment

Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, ‘Ellen’

Show’s Dancing DJ, Dies at 40

By NARDOS HAILE Associated Press

Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the longtime and beloved dancing DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and a former contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance,” has died at the age of 40.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” his wife Allison Holker Boss said in a statement to People magazine. “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”

The Los Angeles coroner said Boss’ cause of death was suicide.

tWitch started his tenure at “The Ellen Show” in 2014 and later was promoted to co-executive producer in 2020.

“I’m heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children - Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia,” Ellen DeGeneres stated on Twitter, alongside a photo of the two embracing in a hug backstage.

The dancer-DJ also appeared in films like “Step Up: All In” and “Magic Mike XXL” and was featured in Disney+’s “The Hip Hop Nutcracker,” released this year. He also had placed as a runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance” and later judged season 17 of the dance competition show.

The Alabama native studied dance performance at Southern Union State Community College and Chapman University.

His love of dancing permeated through all aspects of his life as he aspired to emulate greats like Gene Kelly and

Fred Astaire.

“My personal opinion: The greatest of all time had to be Gene Kelly, man. Gene Kelly, because he’s a guy’s guy. I love Fred Astaire, but Fred Astaire was so smooth, and it was great. He was so classy,” Boss said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2014. “But Gene Kelly _ he could be like somebody’s dad, who just decided to get up off the couch and dance around and clean the kitchen up.”

Boss posted dance videos on TikTok with his wife, who is also a professional dancer, with their children making guest appearances.

Celebrities like Questlove, Kerry Washington and Carrie Ann Inaba posted on social media in mourning.

“I have no words man. May his family find resolution in this dark time. May we all find peace of mind in our everyday lives. Everyday is a winding road and you just may never know who is on the edge,” Questlove posted on Instagram.

“Twitch brought joy and love to people all over the world through music and through dance. My heart is heavy today for his family and all of those who knew and loved him,” Washington also posted on Instagram.

“He was a special one. A good man, a husband, an artist, a dancer, an entertainer, a bright light.He was extraordinary. He could do anything and he did it with a joy and grace and some swagger. Twitch, I’m at a loss. my heart seems to be frozen. like I don’t want to exhale, hoping that maybe if I don’t exhale, that someone will correct this horrible mistake. And all will be okay again,” Inaba, a “Dancing with the Stars” judge, posted on Instagram.

Boss’s passing was first reported by TMZ.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

Avatar 2’ Makes Waves with $134 Million Domestic Debut

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

“ Avatar: The Way of Water “ didn’t make quite as big of a splash as many assumed it would, but James Cameron’s big budget spectacle still helped breathe life into the box office this weekend. The sequel earned $134 million from North American theaters and $300.5 million internationally for a $434.5 million global debut, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

It tied with “The Batman” as the fourth highest domestic debut of the year, behind “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ( $187.4 million in May ), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” ( $181 million in November ) and “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($144.2 million in July).

Expectations were enormous for “Avatar 2,” which carried a reported price tag of over $350 million, the pressure of following up the highest grossing film of all time (thanks in part to various re-releases) over a decade later and the daunting task of propping up an exhibition business that’s still far from normal. Everything “Avatar” is oversized, though: the Na’vi characters, the runtime (a staggering three hours and 12 minutes), the technical advancements and the release strategy from 20th Century Studios and The Walt Disney Co.

Going into the weekend many were expecting a domestic debut of at least $150 million. Some even said $175 or higher, but tracking has also not been as reliable a

metric during the pandemic.

The film began its international rollout on Wednesday and debuted in North America on Thursday evening. Domestically, “Avatar: The Way of Water” was released in 4,202 theaters on over 12,000 screens, 400 of which were IMAX 3D. The studio and filmmakers bet big on the draw, and higher prices, of the 3D format and premium large screens.

By the end of Friday, “Avatar: The Way of Water” had already earned $53 million in the U.S. and Canada and $180.1 million globally, aided by a China release _ the first major Hollywood release in the country since “Minions: The Rise of Gru” in August. It blows “Avatar’s” $26.7 million first day in 2009 out of the water, though that didn’t include Thursday previews.

Over $48.8 million of the global total came from IMAX screens alone (1,543 in 80 markets), the second biggest weekend ever for the company.

“As excited as we are about these early results, we anticipate a long and successful run for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, in a statement.

As with many ambitious Cameron projects, from “Titanic” to the first “Avatar,” nerves were high for the costly sequel, one of the most expensive of all time, which began production five years ago. It faced repeated delays and weathered The Walt Disney Co’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. It’s also one of four “Avatar” sequels

Cameron had in mind. Filming on the third movie, which shot simultaneously with “The Way of Water,” is done, with an expected release in December 2024.

In the 13 years since the first film, “Avatar” has also been the butt of jokes for the perception that the biggest movie of all time, one that has made nearly $3 billion, has left a relatively minor footprint in the culture. But even so, critics have largely been on board with “The Way of Water,” not just for the visuals but also for improving on the story of the first. It holds a 78% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

The question of whether “Avatar 2” will earn enough is a complicated one with varied answers. Is it enough for exhibitors, who’ve had several significant hits this year, including “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Black Panther 2” and “Doctor Strange 2,” but are still hurting? Is it enough to justify starting production on fourth and fifth movies? Is it enough for the business as a whole, which is looking at a domestic year-end total in the $8 billion range, as opposed to a pre-pandemic normal of $11 billion?

But like the critics shouting “never doubt James Cameron,” the studio and analysts are singing a similar tune.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” has the benefit of a holiday corridor that is, relatively speaking, lacking in major blockbuster-style movies. Next week sees the debut of Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” and the family-

friendly “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” but there are no comparable blockbusters until “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in February. The hope is that audiences will continue seeking “Avatar 2” out for weeks and months to come, similar to the first movie.

“Historically James Cameron’s movies are about the long haul, not the opening weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “‘Avatar’ is going to develop its box office over time. It’s about where it will end up months from now.”

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

1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $134 million.

2. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $5.4 million.

3. “Violent Night,” $5 million.

4. “Strange World,” $2.2 million.

5. “The Menu,” $1.7 million.

6. “Devotion,” $825,000.

7. “The Fabelmans,” $750,000. 8. “Black Adam,” $500,000.

9. “I Heard the Bells,” $308,893.

10. “Empire of Light,” $235,000.

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www. twitter.com/ldbahr.

Features

California’s New Tobacco Law Holds Retailers, Not Consumers, Responsible

The tobacco industry has spent decades targeting – and killing – Black community members through predatory marketing tactics designed to hook us on deadly products like mint and menthol-cigarettes. What’s worse, in their efforts to protect profits, the industry pushed the lie that these products are a part of Black culture while exploiting our very real fear of police brutality. The passage of California’s flavored tobacco law in 2022 is groundbreaking not only because it is a giant step forward to ending this exploitation, but because it was designed to avoid further criminalizing Black and Brown folks.

Tobacco is toxic, and so is the racism and inequality that’s central in the tobacco industry and criminal justice system, including who gets policed and why. Laws that criminalize the purchase, use, and possession of tobacco products are called PUP

laws. These laws have attempted to reduce youth smoking rates but can result in fines, citations, arrests, and targeting of those who buy and use tobacco products. PUP laws inflict criminal penalties against people of color, especially Black youth. Black and Hispanic/Latino youth report higher PUP citation rates than their white peers even after accounting for smoking frequency.

Tobacco policies must be crafted and enforced in a way that prevents harm, loss of life, and acts of violence against Black and Brown communities. Tobacco laws should decrease community access to these deadly addictive products. Public health must provide culturally tailored services and programs, such as Kick It California, that decrease demand by supporting people who want to use these products.

PUP laws just don’t work. They can lead to racial targeting and violence and there’s little evidence they work. Laws focusing on tobacco retailers by restricting product sales hold businesses, rather than consumers, accountable. With proper funding and

enforcement, retailer sales restrictions have proven to be better than PUP laws at reducing youth initiation and ongoing tobacco use.

California is committed to ending the tobacco epidemic in the state without causing further harm to our communities. To ensure tobacco laws are equitable and work as intended, a California state law decriminalized the purchase, use and possession of all tobacco products or paraphernalia in 2016.

However, this law did not prohibit local jurisdictions from including PUP provisions in local tobacco laws.

Removing all local PUP provisions and enforcing California’s new Flavored Tobacco law are important steps to reducing Big Tobacco’s influence. Laws that focus on retailers and not the criminalization of individuals is not only better policy — it’s one way that Californians can address racial injustice. Learn more about California’s path forward to undo the damage at undo.org.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced an historic, $9.6 billion investment over the next five years to electrify its delivery fleet.

The USPS investment includes electrifying 75% of its new purpose-built Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) and a commitment to acquire 100% electric NGDVs starting in 2026.

With the announcement, federal officials said the USPS “demonstrates how it is leading by example for the Federal Government in achieving President Biden’s charge to electrify the U.S. Government’s 650,000 vehicles.”

The $9.6 billion investment – which includes $3 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act –installs modern charging infrastructure at hundreds of USPS facilities, electrifies 66,000 delivery vehicles, “and modernizes mail delivery by creating a smarter network to more efficiently reach its 163 million delivery locations across the country and further strengthen the sustainability of this critical public service,” White House officials said.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed the

Inflation Reduction Act to help bring down everyday costs – including costs for energy.

Administration officials said the Inflation Reduction Act’s once-in-a-generation investment in America’s infrastructure “delivers the most significant action ever to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen U.S. energy security, including $3 billion to modernize the USPS delivery fleet.”

The new announcement sustains “reliable mail service to Americans while modernizing the fleet, reducing operating costs, increasing clean air in our neighborhoods, creating jobs, and improving public health,” officials noted in a news release.

Biden’s ambitious goal for 50% of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric has accelerated investments and jumpstarted the EV market in America, officials said.

Since Biden took office, U.S. electric vehicle sales reportedly have tripled and are now higher than ever before.

One year ago, through the president’s Executive Order on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, the Biden-Harris Administration released the most ambitious sustainability plan ever, establishing a goal for 100% acquisition of zero emission

light-duty vehicles by 2027 and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2035.

Now, the USPS said it would exceed Biden’s requirement for each agency to electrify its federal fleet.

Over the next five years, the Postal Service will purchase 45,000 specialized USPS NGDV electric vehicles and 21,000 commercial off-the-shelf electric vehicles.

“We commend the U.S. Postal Service,” John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President, said in a news release.

“The USPS plan leverages the $3 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act to hit the target of 100% electric delivery vehicle purchases in 2026, sets the postal fleet on a course for electrification, significantly reduces vehicles miles traveled in the network, and places USPS at the forefront of the clean transportation revolution.”

The U.S. government operates the largest vehicle fleet in the world, and USPS is the largest vehicle fleet in the Federal government.

Through the administration’s action, the White House said USPS sets the bar for the rest of the Federal government, and, importantly, the rest of the world.

In the plan, the USPS invests the full $3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to increase ambition and

pace in electrifying its fleet, including $1.3 billion for electric delivery vehicles and $1.7 billion for charging infrastructure.

Coupled with $6.6 billion in USPS funds, the overall $9.6 billion, 100,000-vehicle modernization plan results in 66,000 electric delivery vehicles and tens of thousands of charging stations through 2028, and a target of acquiring only electric delivery vehicles after 2026.

“The U.S. Postal Service plan sets the pace for other leading public and private sector fleets. It is clear that the future of transportation is electric – and that future is here,” said Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory.

“As electric mail trucks hit routes across the country, neighborhoods will see cleaner air, better health, and goodpaying clean energy jobs.”

Moving packages from point A to point B in a way that’s cleaner, more cost-effective, and accelerating toward an electric vehicle future stamped “Made in America,” said the President’s National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi.

“This is the Biden climate strategy on wheels, and the U.S. Postal Service delivering for the American people,” Zaidi added.

Carol McGruder, co-chair African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council

The USPS investment includes electrifying 75% of its new purpose-built Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) and a commitment to acquire 100% electric NGDVs starting in 2026.

Features

A Billion Dollar Fund Is Helping California Homeowners Pay Past Due Mortgages

Relief is available for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to financial hardships caused by the Pandemic.

The California Mortgage Relief Program is providing a lifeline for qualifying California property owners, especially in underserved communities. Proponents of the program regard it as a safeguard to protecting generational wealth and assets.

“If you are deemed eligible and approved, we send the payment directly to your servicer or the county in which the home resides for the property tax payment, and then they’re caught up,” said CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation President Rebecca Franklin, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The California Mortgage Relief Program is giving grants that are funded by $1 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plans Homeowner Assistance Fund. Grants up to $80,000 for past due mortgages, and up to $20,000 for missed property taxes, will be distributed to

households facing pandemic-related financial hardship. There are NO FEES to apply, and the GRANTS NEVER HAVE TO BE PAID BACK.

The relief payments are distributed on a first come, first served basis

“This is an awesome program that reminds me of Keep Your Home, California,” said HUD certified housing counselor Linda Jackson. “Keep Your Home, California did have restrictions, you had to stay in the house for a period of time, so that that loan could be forgiven. I say to everyone, this is free money ya’ll. So, we got to get the free money because you don’t have to pay this back. If anyone charges you for this program, run, because it’s at no cost.”

The application is at www.CAMortgageRelief.org and it includes a calculator to help you see if you qualify. The website also provides resources to help fill out the application. To complete the process, you will need some basic documentation like a mortgage statement, property tax bill, or utility bill.

The application typically takes less than 20 minutes to fill out online. For help completing it, contact the

program center at 1(888)840-2594. Additional help with this program and others is available from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development certified counselors at 1-800-569-4287.

“One of the biggest issues is a lot of our community members are older community members that don’t know how to use computers,” said Community Action League CEO Pharaoh Mitchell. “They come in and they’re frustrated, and we literally have to be counselors to them, to [tell them] ‘calm down, we’re here to help you. This is a friendly process. Let’s get you through it.”

“I’m proud that they’re making a conscious effort to really reach into the Black community and make sure our underserved community is served,” Mitchell added.

The program is designed to help low and moderateincome households. It has a cap for people earning more than 150% of the median income in their county, adjusted for the number of people in the household. Officials say it was created to assist people who are behind on payments, specifically those who have missed at least two payments

and currently have a past due balance as of Dec. 1, 2022.

Aside from the income requirement and the delinquent payment criteria, there are almost no additional qualifiers (properties must be owner occupied, though, but some multi-unit properties may be eligible).

Homeowners with fully paid mortgages may be eligible for relief as well. Those having trouble paying their property taxes because of the pandemic may be eligible for Property Tax Relief. To qualify for the property tax relief, individuals must have missed a previous property tax payment last spring and fallen into delinquency.

Thanks to the program, to date 8,302 households have received relief. Officials anticipate the funding will reach 20,000-40,000 more homeowners. A total of $246,538,132 has already been disbursed, leaving more than 75% of the allocated funds still available. The average amount granted across the state was $29,696.

For more information or general questions email info@CAMortgageRelief.org or call 1(888)840-2594.

Rebecca Franklin, EdD, President of the CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation

Maxim Elramsisy California Black Media

Pharaoh Mitchell, CEO of The Community Action League

What California Seniors 50+ Need to Know About Latest Vaccine

Maxim Elaramsisy

California Black Media Physicians and public health officials are raising alarms about a “tripledemic” happening as the holiday travel season approaches. Communities around California are susceptible to infection by new COVID-19 variants, the seasonal flu, and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

People who are vulnerable to serious infection, especially those over age 50, are encouraged to get the updated bivalent COVID vaccine and this year’s flu vaccine.

“Young babies, our older patients, and of course people who have complications from things like diabetes or heart disease, or people who have obesity, people who have immuno-compromised symptoms, these people are very vulnerable,” said Dr. Sharon Okonkwo-Holmes a Kaiser Permanente family practice physician during an informational event at the Yvonne B. Burke Senior & Community Center in Los Angeles. “The CDC is really recommending that you get your flu vaccine at the same time as your COVID vaccine.”

The flu vaccine, which changes every year to protect against the flu strains most likely to circulate in the coming season, appears to be “a very good match” according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

However, data shows fewer people are getting vaccinated, including fewer pregnant women, seniors, and children.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild cold-like symptoms. Although it is not dangerous for most people, it can cause serious problems, especially in infants and seniors. No vaccine is currently available for RSV.

COVID-19, flu and RSV share many of the same symptoms, leading to confusion about which course of treatment to take.

The first action people should take if they are not feeling well is to isolate, and do a home test for COVID. An infected person may test negative on the first day of symptoms.

“In early infections, the home test may not pick it up right away, but it will pick it up on day two or day

three,” said Okonkwo-Holmes. “Keep your mask on, try and stay in your room… On days one to five, you really do want to avoid exposure with everyone else because you are shedding virus… By day five, you’re considered to be okay.

If you’re not having fever for two days, go ahead and put your mask on and you can go out into the community, but we’re still asking you to keep your mask on until day ten.

People over 50 should strongly consider getting vaccinated for Shingles, a viral skin condition causing blisters and a burning or tingling sensation that can last for weeks.

Shingles and associated inflammation can cause complications, including long term nerve pain, vision loss, and has also been linked to increased risk for stroke

Beginning May 7, 2025, the estimated 10 million passengers throughout California who travel during the holiday season, will need a REAL ID or another federally approved identification to fly within the United States and visit federally secure facilities such as military bases and courthouses.

Imagine going through airport security, excited to fly to see family and friends, only to be turned away because you don’t have a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification.

This holiday season the California Department of Motor Vehicles is encouraging air travelers to join the 14.8 million Californians and give themselves the gift of a REAL ID. It’s easier than ever and makes traveling a breeze.

Beginning May 7, 2025, the estimated 10 million passengers throughout California who travel during the holiday season, will need a REAL ID or another federally approved identification to fly within the United States and visit federally secure facilities such as military bases and courthouses. Consider it your most important carry-on and put it on your holiday wish list.

The application process is as easy as 1-2-3 with the DMV’s Online Services. First, upload the necessary documents.  Second, complete the online application. Lastly, make an appointment online to finish your application at a local DMV office.

Customers will need to provide one proof of identity that includes your full name and date of birth such as a U.S. passport, original copy or certified copy of U.S. birth certificate, or a valid permanent resident card. If the name on the proof of identity document is different from the name on the other documents, legal name change documentation much also be provided. You will also need

one… Get your COVID and flu shots at the same time,” Okonkwo-Holmes said.

Communities of color have been hit especially hard by the pandemic because of “social determinants of health,” like where we live, the types of jobs we have, and our level of the stress hormone cortisol.

“The stress that we endure in America, it has an impact on our cells,” said Okonkwo-Holmes. When society treats you differently, when you are profiled, when the police are following you, when you hear bad news in the media about another person who has been killed who looks like us… It raises our blood pressure; it also raises a [stress] hormone in our bodies called cortisol… It makes us more susceptible to things like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, [and] stroke… So, I would argue that a lot of the systemic racism and microaggressions in our society are directly impacting our DNA and impacting our health… The racism is making us sick.”

For our communities to stay healthy, we must take action. “For me, action means trying to sleep well, avoiding alcohol, avoiding smoke [including] marijuana, trying my hardest to eat well.”

As for stress, Dr. Okonkwo-Holmes recommends laughter. “Go ahead and laugh out loud and have some enjoyment, go on long walks 30 minutes a day and spend time with people who make you feel good.”

As Black communities continue to navigate the pandemic, it is important to use the tools available to keep us as healthy as we can.

and dementia. The two-dose shingles vaccine, Shingrix, is recommended for all people over the age of 50 and people who are 19 and older with a weakened immune system due to disease or medication.

“If you’ve ever had chickenpox as a kid, when you’re 50 you should ask your doctor for your shingles shot,” said Okonkwo-Holmes.

Doctors know that three shots at the same time can be too much for some patients. But due to the urgency of the situation, doctors are recommending getting the flu and COVID vaccine together.

“Right now, we’re seeing more COVID, number one, flu, number two, then shingles. So, if you want to put off that third one, then go ahead and put off the shingles

COVID-19 Update:

Okonkwo-Holmes believes people should wear masks indoors, even though it is not currently a requirement in many places, we should stay up to date with vaccinations to prevent serious illness and hospitalization, and if a COVID infection is acquired, get one of the available treatments, which most seniors will qualify for and usually tolerate well.

“None of my patients have had severe complications at all from treatments,” said Okonkwo-Holmes. “You don’t want to stay really sick. If you don’t feel well and you’re having difficulty breathing. You want to get to the hospital right away or call 911.”

Ready

Now

Carrie Stanton is Regional Administrator (Region 2, Bay Area) of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

two documents to confirm proof of California residency such as a utility bill, insurance documents, rental agreement, or bank statement. View the required document checklist for a complete list of acceptable documents.

is the perfect time to get on board with the REAL ID application. With exciting new destinations and plenty of holiday cheer, be ready this season with the REAL ID.

As you prepare to connect with friends and loved onesacross the country and around the world, make the holiday travel season convenient and enjoyable.

for a bit of extra convenience? Try DMV Online: Most DMV tasks do not require an office visit. Many transactions, such as vehicle registration and change of address, can be completed at dmv.ca.gov/online.

Sports

The LA Jimmy Kimmel Bowl Shines

By Earl Heath    Contributing Sports Writer

The Jimmy Kimmel BOWL by Stifel is an unusual postseason event. For years it was the Holiday Bowl and the Rose Bowl that people came cross country to Southern California to see.

Now it a ‘Fun Bowl’ with the glamour of Hollywood and the City of Angeles in the shadows of So-Fi Stadium The game pits the Mountain Western conference Champs vs. the fourth ranked team in the Pac-12.

Fresno State brought its awesome fan base in the 29 -6 over Washington State.

It’s the only Bowl named after a living person. I asked Jimmy -How do you get a Bowl named after you? He answered with a smile “Never top trying.”

Fresno State was the MWC rep and they came out like gang- busters. Scoring on three of four possession they passed and ran their way scoring on a 75-yard drive that took just 3:06 finishing with yards for the games first score with QB Jake Haener hitting Zane Pope on a 22-yard

touchdown.   Jordan Mims scored on a 4-yard run with 12:52 left in the second period to put the Bulldogs up 14-0  Mims had a colossal day finishing with 232 All-purpose yards and two touchdowns scored from the Wildcat formation.

“It felt surreal. I knew I had a pretty solid game. Our line did their thing and I followed them,” Mims said. “We always want to stick with the run game and pound the ball first. It was good for us to make plays on the ground and we can dish out here and there and throw shots.”

MIMS earned offensive MVP of the gain.  Both sides of the Bulldogs Line were in total control all-day. “Fresno States line is pushing those guys (WSU)” said Football fan Robert Murallo who looked on from the stands. Washington State can’t hang with those guys,” he added.

“I don’t think we ever got in a rhythm. We never established running the football which is a key piece to what we always want to do,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “Those are some things as we watch the tape that we’ll kind of hopefully lean into and learn.”

Haener completed 24 of 36 passes for 280 yards. He was the igniter all day for the Bulldogs (10-4).

“We set history today. Every guy in that locker room day in and day out has been resilient and positive,” said the 6-2 senior from Danville, CA.

After a 1-4 start it was the ninth straight win for the Bulldogs.

Niko Remigo Mater Dei had a sound day with 5 catches for 85 yards. Zane Pope from Moorpark had four receptions for 64 yards.Carlton Johnson of Mareno Valley led the team in tackles with 10. Eligah Gates a senior from

Franco Harris, Steeler Who Caught Immaculate Reception, Dies

By WILL GRAVES AP News

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored the “Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. He was 72.

Harris’ son, Dok, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his father died overnight. No cause of death was given.

His death comes two days before the 50th anniversary of the play that provided the jolt that helped transform the Steelers from also-rans into the NFL’s elite and three days before Pittsburgh is scheduled to retire his No. 32 during a ceremony at halftime of its game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Harris had been busy in the run-up to the celebration, doing media interviews on Monday to talk about a moment to which he is forever linked.

“It is difficult to find the appropriate words to describe Franco Harris’ impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his teammates, the City of Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation,” team President Art Rooney II said in a statement. “From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped giving back in so many ways. He touched so many, and he was loved by so many.” ‘Immaculate Reception’ still lifts a region’s spirits

Even in retirement, Harris remained a fixture in the community and a team whose standard of excellence began with a young kid from New Jersey who saw the ball in the air and kept on running. It wasn’t uncommon for Harris to stop by the Steelers’ practice facility to chat with players who weren’t even born before his fateful play.

“I just admire and love the man,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “There’s so much to be learned from him in terms of how he conducted himself, how he embraced the responsibilities of being Franco for Steeler Nation, for this community ... He embraced it all and did it with such grace and class and patience and time for people.”

Harris ran for 12,120 yards and won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, a dynasty that began in earnest when Harris decided to keep running during a last-second heave by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a playoff game against Oakland in 1972.

With Pittsburgh trailing 7-6 and facing fourth-and-10 from its own 40-yard line and 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Bradshaw drifted back and threw deep to running back Frenchy Fuqua. Fuqua and Oakland defensive back Jack Tatum collided, sending the ball careening back toward midfield in the direction of Harris. Game officials weren’t sure who deflected the pass; replays were inconclusive.

While nearly everyone else on the field stopped, Harris kept his legs churning, snatching the ball just inches above the Three Rivers Stadium turf near the Oakland 45, then outracing several stunned Raider defenders to give the Steelers their first playoff victory in the franchise’s four-decade history.

“That play really represents our teams of the ’70s,” Harris said after the “Immaculate Reception” was voted the greatest play in NFL history during the league’s 100th anniversary season in 2020.

Though the Raiders cried foul in the moment, over time they somewhat embraced their role in NFL lore. Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris on the play, even attended a 40th-anniversary celebration of the play in 2012, when a small monument commemorating the exact location of Harris’ history-altering catch

“There’s

AFC championship, Pittsburgh was on its way to becoming the dominant team of the 1970s, twice winning backto-back Super Bowls, first after the 1974 and 1975 seasons and again after the 1978 and 1979 seasons.

And it all began with a play that shifted the fortunes of a franchise and, in some ways, a region.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years, that’s a long time,” Harris said in September when the team announced it would retire his number. “And to have it so alive, you know, is still thrilling and exciting. It really says a lot. It means a lot.”

Harris, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound workhorse from Penn State, found himself in the center of it all. He churned for a then-record 158 yards rushing and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 16-6 victory over Minnesota in Super Bowl IX on his way to winning the game’s Most Valuable Player award.

NASCAR Breaks Ground for 2023 Clash

By Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer

On a crisp December morning at the LA. Coliseum a black Chevy on cruised at a moderate onto the football field of the historic venue. The driver then parked in front of mounds of dirt. The driver climbed out on the window side. It was Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Larson was on hand for NASCAR’s ground breaking  on the (re)construction of its quarter-mile, asphalt track inside the iconic Los Angeles venue as preparations kick into high gear for the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.

NASCAR and Coliseum officials were on hand  to mark the occasion for NASCAR’s Los Angeles return to the Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 5.

“I’m a California native, so I was really excited to race inside the stadium earlier this year,” Larson said. “I can’t wait for us to get back here in February and put on another great show for the fans. It’s going to be here before you know it.”

Aside from a brief holiday break, construction crews will  work around the clock to prepare the quarter-mile asphalt oval for the most anticipated sequel in racing. In the coming days, workers will place and grade 9,200 cubic yards of aggregate and fill material atop 130,000 square feet of Visqueen and plywood that covers United Airlines Field.

This mega project needs a total team effort from NASCAR and the Coliseum. “It’s requires a big collaboration with all parties,” said Kevin Daly Assistant General Manager, who overseer’s the team responsible for events, operations, technology and field maintenance at the historic venue. “Last year was successful and we want to make it better this year.”

Last year a over 65,000 attended and 72% had never attended a NASCAR Race.

There were events all week they invited young people from the BOYS and GIRLS Club of Long Beach. They came to the Coliseum had a chance to see the engineering done

“This year there will be more B&G Clubs attending”, said Matt Humphries of NASCAR Communications. “There will be more drivers. The fan-fest that takes place will be larger. We want to embrace the City.”

Toyota of Carson will feature its drivers all week. Paving should begin Jan. 4, and the installation of barriers and fencing from Auto Club Speedway and the Long Beach Grand Prix is scheduled to commence two days later.

Hip-hop legends Cypress Hill will perform before the main event, and more in-race entertainment will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2022 Busch Light Clash featured a pre-race show from international superstar Pitbull and a halftime performance by Ice Cube. Tickets for the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum begin at $65, and kids 12-and-under are $10.

Born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on March 7, 1950, Harris played collegiately at Penn State, where his primary job was to open holes for backfield mate Lydell Mitchell. The Steelers, in the final stages of a rebuild led by Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll, saw enough in Harris to make him the 13th overall pick in the 1972 draft.

“When (Noll) drafted Franco Harris, he gave the offense heart, he gave it discipline, he gave it desire, he gave it the ability to win a championship in Pittsburgh,” Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann said of his frequent roommate on team road trips.

Harris’ impact was immediate. He won the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award in 1972 after rushing for a thenteam-rookie record 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Steelers reached the postseason for just the second time in franchise history.

The city’s large Italian-American population embraced Harris immediately, led by two local businessmen who founded what became known as “Franco’s Italian Army,” a nod to Harris’ roots as the son of an African-American father and an Italian mother.

The “Immaculate Reception” made Harris a star, though he typically preferred to let his play and not his mouth do the talking. On a team that featured big personalities in Bradshaw, defensive tackle Joe Greene and linebacker Jack Lambert among others, the intensely quiet Harris spent 12 seasons as the engine that helped Pittsburgh’s offense go.

Eight times he topped 1,000 yards rushing in a season, including five times while playing a 14-game schedule. He piled up an additional 1,556 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all-time behind Emmitt Smith.

Despite his gaudy numbers, Harris stressed that he was just one cog in an extraordinary machine that redefined greatness.

“You see, during that era, each player brought their own little piece with them to make that wonderful decade happen,” Harris said during his Hall of Fame speech in 1990. “Each player had their strengths and weaknesses, each their own thinking, each their own method, just each, each had their own. But then it was amazing, it all came together, and it stayed together to forge the greatest team of all times.”

Harris also made it a habit to stick up for his teammates. When Bradshaw took what Harris felt was an illegal late hit from Dallas linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson in the second half of their meeting in the Super Bowl following the 1978 season, Harris basically demanded that Bradshaw give him the ball on the next play. All Harris did was sprint up the middle 22 yards — right by Henderson — for a touchdown that gave the Steelers an 11-point lead they would not relinquish on their way to their third championship in six years.

Despite all of his success, his time in Pittsburgh ended acrimoniously when the Steelers cut him after he held out during training camp before the 1984 season. Noll, who leaned on Harris so heavily for so long, famously answered “Franco who?” when asked about Harris’ absence from the team’s camp at Saint Vincent College.

Harris signed with Seattle, running for just 170 yards in eight games before being released in midseason. He retired as the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher behind Walter Payton and Jim Brown.

“I don’t even think about that (anymore),” Harris said in 2006. “I’m still black and gold.”

Harris remained in Pittsburgh following his retirement, opening a bakery and becoming heavily involved in several charities, including serving as the chairman of “Pittsburgh Promise,” which provides college scholarship opportunities for Pittsburgh Public School students.

“I think everybody knows Franco, not just for the work he did on the field but off the field,” Steelers defensive lineman and co-captain Cam Heyward said Wednesday. “I think he was there making change, being involved in everything he could.”

Harris is survived by his wife, Dana Dokmanovich, and son Dok.

AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers’ Franco Harris (32) eludes a tackle by Oakland Raiders’ Jimmy Warren as he runs 42-yards for a touchdown after catching a deflected pass during an AFC Divisional NFL football playoff game in Pittsburgh on Dec. 23, 1972. Harris died on Wednesday morning, Dec. 21, 2022, at age 72, just two days before the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)

was unveiled. Villapiano still plans to attend Saturday night’s jersey retirement ceremony for his former rivalturned-friend, and is just fine with the mystery that still surrounds what actually happened at 3:29 p.m. on Dec. 23, 1972.

so many angles and so many things. Nobody will ever figure that out,” Villapiano said. “Let’s let it go on forever.”

While the Steelers fell the next week to Miami in the

He scored at least once in three of the four Super Bowls he played in, and his 354 career yards rushing on the NFL’s biggest stage remains a record nearly four decades after his retirement.

“One of the kindest, gentlest men I have ever known,” Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, a teammate of Harris’ in Pittsburgh in the late 1970s, posted on Twitter. “He was a great person & great teammate. Hall of Fame player but so much more than that. A tremendous role model for me!”

Joey Lagono Speak wit media at Coliseum during ground breaking for Bush Light CLASH (Courtesy Photo)

(Photo Credit: Sara Medina)

(Photo Credit: Sara Medina)

Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford Holds up Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Trophy as the Bulldogs defeated WSU 29-6. (Photo Credit: Sara Medina)

Pasadena finished the season with 48-tackles.  The attendance was a solid 32,406.

Marty-Mar Loves The Kids; Martin Lawrence Hosts First Annual Go Kart Charity Event

By Philtrina Farquharson

Contributing Writer

The kids were bussed to the indoor kart racing facility anticipating a fun day, and left with memories that would last a lifetime. The entire facility was closed off just for them and specially decorated in holiday decor, making the day even more magical.

“I think it’s important that we pay it forward through a monetary contribution, or with our presence, and being involved in opportunities like this while letting kids who feel like nobody has their back or their best interest at heart letting them know they do have support. Knowing this, It helps kids in school and helps them be productive members of society, and they have a basis and a foundation, and that’s what I’m here to do, to provide that atmosphere,” said Mekhi Phifer.

Before the kids went on the track, they were split into teams paired with some of Martin’s closest friends and icons including Jaleel White, Mekhi Phifer, and Sean Baker. The team leaders gave the children positive affirmations and encouraged them to have fun.

After racing through the tracks and filling their bellies with various food truck options, the kids soon discovered that they had received everything they had added to their wishlist. Martin went on to present the kids with all of

their presents wrapped up, filling an entire room. As the children opened the gifts, their faces lit up as though they had just won a million dollars. They were so grateful, some even screamed aloud, running to their friends to display their gratitude.

“These days it’s a blessing to be alive, and Marty mar loves the kids, and I do as well said,” actor Shaun Baker; what we try to do is inspire. I had an incredible mom when I first moved to LA, I didn’t have any money, and I would always have encouragement from her with notes, cards, and affirmations, but speak life into me and over and always felt like it was a wonderful thing when I could do that for someone else to have a support system around and celebrate these wonderful kids.

Al Barro Foundation, the non-profit organization, came out to the event to support the children in addition to what they have received, with a donation of school supplies, shoes, and art kits. “We are so lucky to be able to bless others and provide many essential items like clothing, supplies, food, and hygienic products, especially for families and those in need. We love to go out to the community and make a difference in the lives of real people,” said President Najwa Jabari.

This philanthropic work is nothing new to ole Marty-Mar; every year, he has worked to give back to his community, specifically to unhoused students and families.

“It’s my calling since God has blessed me so much. It’s just something that I have to do, and I am glad I have the opportunity to do this and will be doing more,” said Martin Lawerence.

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

(Photo Credit: Philtrina Farquharson/OGNSC)

Martin Lawrence, a beloved comedian and actor, spent some time last week spreading holiday cheer for young foster kids throughout California. Taking place at K1 Speed in Burbank, the actor brought some of his closest friends together to give back and celebrate underprivileged kids, ages range 9 through 16.