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Black Church’s Are Not as Split as Some Suggest

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Volume 32 Number 48

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Thursday, October 5, 2017

Las Vegas Mass Shooting

Stephen Paddock, a 64 year-old White man from Mesquite, Nevada, was identified as the gunmen in one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history. Paddock fired on the crowd at a country music festival near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. (Wikimedia Commons)

By Freddie Allen Editor-In-Chief, NNPA Newswire Las Vegas authorities have identified Stephen Paddock, a 64 year-old White man from Mesquite, Nevada, as the gunmen in one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history.

During a brief press conference Monday morning, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters that more than 50 people were killed and more than 400 people that were wounded during the attack were transported to local hospitals, according to The New York Times. Police have determined that Paddock fired on the crowd of roughly 22,000 attending a country music festival from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Sunday night.

“Online video of the attack outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino showed the singer Jason Aldean performing outside at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music event, interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire,” The New York Times reported. “The music stopped, and concertgoers ducked for cover.”

Authorities haven’t reported anything about Paddock’s motive; not much is known about the weapons used in the attack, although some experts have speculated that multiple firearms were used, including a high-caliber, automatic rifle.

Police have reported that Paddock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to NBC News, “The brother of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock was stunned to learn Monday that his relative was the suspected perpetrator of the largest mass shooting in modern American history. Paddock, who lives in Orlando, said his brother has retired to Mesquite, Nevada and spent his time at the hotels, going to shows and gambling.”

During an interview with NBC News, Paddock said that his brother, “was just a guy” and that the family was “completely at a loss.”

Monday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted, “My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!”

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the American composer and playwright of the award-winning play “Hamil-

ton,” also took to Twitter to share condolences for people affected by the tragedy in Las Vegas.

“Heartbroken by the news out of Las Vegas,” Miranda said. “Praying for those of us waiting for news from loved ones who went to hear live music on a Sunday.”

During an interview with MSNBC, Danny Tarkanian, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Nevada, said that the attack was “the worst fear of anybody who has lived in Las Vegas.”

Jamelle Bouie, the chief political correspondent for Slate.com, questioned why authorities hesitated to call the mass shooting an act of terrorism.

“That Las Vegas authorities have ruled out terrorism at this early stage is another example of how the idea has all but been racialized,” Bouie tweeted.

Writer and social media activist Shaun King suggested that the shooter’s “whiteness” prevented authorities from calling him a terrorist, even though he “conducted the deadliest mass shooting in American history.”

As some took to social media calling for the mass shooting to be labeled an act of terrorism, others used the tragedy to call for stricter gun control.

Still, most people used social media to share sympathy and prayers for the concertgoers and their families.

“Don’t even know what to say,” R&B singer Trey Songz tweeted. “To be in Vegas while this is happening, brings a pain to my heart. My team and I are safe, Thank God! Prayers up.”

NBA superstar Isaiah Thomas tweeted, “Prayers up for the victims & families of the Las Vegas Shooting #PrayForVegas” Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association offered prayers and sympathy for those who suffered in the attack, while calling for a deeper conversation about the role that guns play in American society.

“NNPA affirms heartfelt condolences to families impacted by senseless murders in Las Vegas,” said Chavis on Twitter. “End gun violence!”

Spending Power tail for four years, she made the decision to start her own business.

Santirosa said that fashion and beauty industries often chose to ignore the purchasing power of Black women.

“I do see the market beginning to recognize Black women more and cater to our spending preferences,” Santirosa offered.

In Nielsen’s new Diverse Intelligence Series report, the global researcher paints a portrait of Black women as trendsetters, brand loyalists and early adopters, who care about projecting a positive self-image. As they wield that #BlackGirlMagic, Black women play an increasingly vital role in how all women see themselves and influencing mainstream culture across a number of areas, including fashion, beauty, television and music, the report’s authors said.

“Black women have strong life-affirming values that spill over into everything they do. The celebration of their power and beauty is reflected in what they buy, watch and listen to, and people outside their communities find it inspiring,” said Cheryl Grace, the senior vice president of U.S. Community Strategic Alliances and Consumer Engagement for Nielsen. “Understanding how Black women’s values affect their buying decisions has long been a marketing necessity.

Grace continued: “Now, marketers must also recognize the intercultural influence of Black women on the general market, as an increasingly vital part of how all women see themselves, their families and the rest of the world.”

Black women are not only redefining what it means to be a woman for themselves, but are at the vanguard of changing gender roles and unlimited possibilities for American women of all ages and races.

The report noted that 64 percent of Black women agree their goal is to make it to the top of their profession; 58 percent agree that they don’t mind giving up their personal time for work—20 percent higher than non-Hispanic White women.

Further, 14 percent of Black women have annual incomes of $50,000 or higher with ages 35–49 enjoying the highest income within the Black female cohort.

For millennial women, 81 percent have never been married, up from 71 percent in 2005 and, with an average household size of 2.47, 29 percent of total Black American households contain a married couple.

Black women also have embraced the social media

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The city of Los Angeles has sued the U.S. Department of Justice over its plan to sanction cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that the city filed a lawsuit last week alleging that it’s unconstitutional to tie federal grant funding for law enforcement programs to immigration enforcement.

The suit alleges the justice department is giving bonus points to jurisdictions seeking community policing grant funds if they agree to focus efforts on illegal immigration.

Los Angeles says it received $3 million in these funds last year.

The justice department did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.

The Trump administration has sparred with immigrant-friendly cities over whether they should assist with immigration enforcement efforts.

LA Coliseum Panel to Get $3.5M in Settlement

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission will receive $3.5 million in a settlement with a rave promoter, bringing to an end a six-year legal fight and corruption scandal.

The civil lawsuit accused promoter Insomniac, its chief executive Pasquale Rotella and others of being involved in a bribery and kickback scheme involving low-balled Coliseum contracts that cost the historic venue millions.

The Los Angeles Times reports the settlement was announced Monday in Superior Court.

A lawyer for Insomniac did not respond to a request for comment. The coliseum commission, a government agency, said the deal is in the best interest of the public.

Insomniac, which has since been acquired by concert giant Live Nation, has not held raves at the Coliseum complex since 2011.

Influence of Black Women

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor A new report detailing the record-setting spending power of African American women has further buoyed the confidence of Black female entrepreneurs, who said the information proves their undeniable value to the United States and the global economy.

The report titled, “African American Women: Our Science, Her Magic,” was released by Nielsen during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference; it revealed that African American women’s consumer preferences and brand affinities are resonating across the mainstream culture, driving total Black spending power toward a record $1.5 trillion by 2021.

The report also noted that Black women comprise 14 percent of all females in the U.S. (“24.3 million strong”) and 52 percent of all African Americans.

With an average age of 35.1 years (versus 42.8 for non-Hispanic White women and 39.4 for all women), Black women have enjoyed steady growth in population, incomes and educational attainment.

Sixty-four percent of Black women currently enroll in college right out of high school and 23 percent over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, up from 18 percent in 2005.

Further, the report noted that the number of businesses majority-owned by Black women grew 67 percent between 2007 and 2012, more than all women combined.

The latest U.S. Census figures show African-American women have majority ownership in more than 1.5 million businesses with over $42 billion in sales.

“This report is helpful to show banks and brands that Black women are highly qualified to be recipients of fair lending and to be fairly represented in advertising campaigns,” said Samantha Gregory, the founder of the website richsinglemomma.com, a platform developed to help single mothers earn extra cash. “As a Black woman in technology and personal finance, who is also a business owner, those statistics are useful, when I am making a case for working with brands for my blog and business.

Gregory continued: “However, if the powers that be are not educated about these statistics, it is still challenging to get a seat at the table, where all the prime contracts are being handed out.”

Briana Santirosa, the founder and CEO of online retailer, Casa de Reinas, said that after working in re-

LA Sues Over Tying Federal Funds to Immigration Enforcement

Cheryl Grace, the senior vice president of U.S. Community Strategic Alliances and Consumer Engagement for Nielsen, says that marketers must recognize the intercultural influence of Black women on the general market. In this photo, Grace (née Pearson-McNeil) speaks during the 2017 NNPA Mid-Winter Conference in Fort Lauderdale. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)

movement #BlackGirlMagic, a term that describes a cross-platform gathering of empowered Black women who uplift each other and shine a light on the impressive accomplishments of Black women throughout the country.

According to the report, Black women “over-index by 29 percent for spending three to four hours each day on social networking sites and by 86 percent for spending five or more hours each day on social networking sites.”

Especially adept at using technology and social media to trade opinions and offer recommendations, Black women 18 and older, more than any other demographic group, have taken social media and adopted it for higher purposes, the report found.

Whether they are buying cars, jewelry, smartphones or beauty products, the advice, referrals and feedback they receive from friends and community play an important role in Black women’s purchases, the report said.

Forty-three percent of Black women say they like to share their opinions about products and services by posting reviews and ratings online; 47 percent agree that people often come to them for advice, before making a purchase.

“The trend of Black women becoming increasingly educated and driving the buying power of Black households, means that they are making purchase decisions that historically they didn’t make,” said Bianca Blake, a marketing specialist.

Carley Simon Discovers Her Mixed Race Heritage

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ If there’s a bigger cheerleader for genealogy research than Henry Louis Gates Jr. it’s unlikely they’re nearly as well-connected.

The prominent Harvard professor once again lures the famous and celebrated to PBS’ “Finding Your Roots,” which shares their ancestry and family stories as uncovered by impressive research and science.

Carly Simon, who was eager to find out whether her maternal grandmother, who came to the United States from Cuba, had her lineage right: She claimed to be the offspring of the king of Spain and a Moroccan slave.

Researchers traveled to Cuba to search out Catholic church records unavailable online and found “an amazing family tree,” Gates said, one different than expected. Simon’s grandmother was found to be 40 percent black, making the singer-songwriter 10 percent black.

Her grandmother “invented this crazy story, this fabrication, because she knew she was from a mixedrace heritage, and that was very unpopular in the 1950s and `60s,” Gates said.

Page A2

World & Nation

Los Angeles News Observer

Thursday October 5, 2017

Activist’s Grisly Killing Still Unsolved

By Dave Waddell Chico Sol, News Report CHICO, Calif. -- Marc Thompson had a big smile – broad and gap-toothed — and an even bigger personality. He made a mark on people, “like a blazing star across the midnight sky,” in the words of activist Lee Mun Wah, one of Thompson’s mentors. And he had dedicated his young life to fighting against a litany of social injustices.

Then, three years ago this month, he was brutally killed, his body found in his burned-out car in a remote area about 28 miles northeast of Oroville.

Thompson’s parents, still devastated and mystified over the murder, continue to question whether the Butte County Sheriff’s Department did enough to apprehend his killer or killers.

“I’m still grieving,” said Thompson’s mother, LaWanda Thompson-Taylor. “I’m still hurting and grieving.”

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea disclosed in a recent interview with ChicoSol that sheriff’s detectives, in hopes of generating new leads in the case, are employing more advanced technology than was available three years ago “to mine the data” from Marc Thompson’s cell phone records. Honea noted that his department never closes murder cases.

“Let me state emphatically that I can appreciate the frustration and the desire of Marc Thompson’s family to have closure,” Honea said. “I can assure you that I want this horrific crime solved.”

At his death, Thompson was a student leader at Chico State and just 25 years old – the same age as his cousin, Desmond Phillips, who was having a mental episode in his home when killed in a hail of Chico police bullets on March 17.

In fact, during the heart-wrenching minutes after Phillips was gunned down, his shocked, sobbing father, David Phillips, was recorded pleading: “No! No! We just buried my nephew! Oh God, no!”

Lawrence Thompson Sr. of Chico, Marc’s father, was mostly solemn and sometimes struggled for words in a recent interview at his Chico residence, but he instantly brightened when asked to describe his son.

“He was destined for greatness, that was for sure,” Lawrence Thompson said. “I told him when he was 12 that he’s my retirement plan. So I needed to help him get to his goals.”

Lawrence Thompson also called his son a “natural-born public speaker” a leader who people gravitated toward. As a youth he played football for the Oroville Rhinos. An avid reader, Marc’s “biggest thing was trying to beat me at ‘Jeopardy,’” his father recalled with a smile.

Thompson-Taylor, who lives in Florida, called her son “a kind soul. He was a big bear someone you could talk to. That’s why (his murder) is so difficult to understand.”

At Chico State, Thompson majored in sociology and psychology with minors in women’s stuMarc Thompson also had been a student activist at Butte College. The back cover of the 2016 edition of the Butte College Bloom, a student literary magazine, was given over to pictures and words in memory of Thompson, calling him “an amazing example of what it means to be inclusive, kind and genuine. He was an ally and friend to many.”

Lawrence Thompson said he taught all of his children to play cards, and a former college instructor of Marc’s recalls sharing a poker table in this remembrance. On Sept. 3, 2014, the evening of his gruesome death, Marc had headed off to Gold Country Casino for some Texas Hold ‘Em. He was not at the casino for long. His body was found in his car, which had been set afire with an accelerant, in a secluded area his father described as “picturesque.”

Julie Withers, a former Butte College instructor who became close to Marc, writing shortly after the killing, described the region where he was found as “steeped in mining and logging history, … rural and quiet, known for marijuana grows and conservative politics. It is a lonely wooded place.”

Lawrence Thompson said it was his understanding that some of Marc’s phone data, as well as some security video from the casino, was lost because sheriff’s investigators did not move quickly enough to secure them before deletion.

“The obvious things weren’t happening quick enough, obviously,” Lawrence Thompson said.

Honea defended his department’s investigation, saying detectives jumped on the case immediately and moved as rapidly as possible to get the phone data.

However, the sheriff acknowledged that security footage from the casino parking lot was lost, although

“Congress also established a Student Loan Ombudsman at the CFPB whose responsibilities include working with the Department to ‘resolve complaints related to [borrowers] private education or federal student loans’ and is specifically instructed to enter into a MOU with the Department to do so,” the let-

ter continued.

The lawmakers also advised in their letter that the authority to monitor and enforcement laws affecting student loan servicers beyond those held by CFPB additionally includes duties for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at the federal level and in the states by attorneys general and other state agencies.

“We are pleased to see Senators Brown and Murray are joined by more lawmakers in leading the way to assert CFPB’s authority and that of other federal agencies that together share oversight and regulation of student loans and student loan servicers”, commented Whitney Barkley-Denney, a CRL policy counsel and student loan specialist. “The claims made by the Department of Education made in signal a disturbing intent to withhold key information that should be shared.”

“These lawmakers are standing up for borrowers and taxpayers against a Department of Education that seems more interested in protecting the interests of big money corporations than struggling families.

On behalf of the more than 40 million consumers burdened with student debt and our allies in this struggle, we are also most grateful,” Barkley-Denney concluded.

If lawmaker chidings weren’t enough, days later on September 20, another communique continued what the lawmakers began. Led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), a coalition of diverse national organizations pledged to promote and protect civil and human rights of all people, sent its collective concerns to Secretary DeVos, citing federal laws like Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“All of these laws require regulations and guidance, and oversight and enforcement, in order to provide their intended benefits to students,” stated the coalition. ‘“Students deserve, and the law requires, a Department of Education that is working to protect all students from discrimination and to provide for equal educational opportunity,” the coalition concluded.

DeVos on Student Loan Enforcement

By Charlene Crowell Communications Director, Center for Responsible Lending Civil rights leaders and Capitol Hill lawmakers are standing up and speaking out against a recent Department of Education (DOE) decision to sever its working relationship with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In separate and independent actions, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and staff are being challenged and corrected as to its understanding of a sole office having complete authority and enforcement regarding the nation’s student loans.

As readers may recall, an earlier column reported on an August 31 advisory by the Department of Education’s decision to formally end two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that guided Education’s working relationship with CFPB. The first MOU detailed how DOE would share information with CFPB. The second detailed how the two agencies would cooperate on supervisory oversight, the process that has led to multiple million dollar settlements for fraud and other legal violations. For CFPB, the correspondence was an unexpected 30-day cancellation notice.

It was also one that affects more than 40 million consumers, who together owe $1.4 trillion in a combination of federal and private student loan debt. Among Black students who used student loans to finance a bachelor’s degree, the burden of debt is disproportionate. Four years following graduation, they owe almost double the amount of their white classmates, according to research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).

Since then, reactions have ranged from questioning the advisability as to why DOE would cut its ties to CFPB, to outright challenges to the agency’s knowledge and interpretation of applicable federal laws.

“While the Department does have the authority to administer the federal student loan programs,” wrote the lawmakers, “that authority is not exclusive and has been intentionally constrained by law due to the Department’s historical negligence in carrying out many of its oversight responsibilities over federal student loan servicers.”

Civil rights leaders and Capitol Hill lawmakers are challenging Education Secretary DeVos over the department’s student loan enforcement. In this photo, DeVos speaks at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. (Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)

SoCal Schools Warn Flutes Could be Tainted with Semen FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (AP) _ Parents were warned Saturday that a music teacher with a nonprofit group may have handed out flutes to schoolchildren that were tainted with his own semen.

A state and federal investigation was under way into whether youngsters at schools around Southern California may have received tainted flutes.

The Los Angeles Unified School District said it was cooperating in an investigation of alleged “inappropriate sexual conduct involving a musical performer” that affected at least 13 school districts.

One LAUSD school may have been involved, the district said in a statement.

Several other Southern California districts notified parents by email on Friday and Saturday that a performer associated with the nonprofit group Flutes Across the World was being investigated.

“The performer distributes a flute-like musical instrument made of PVC pipe or bamboo to stu-

dents during a music lesson, and the allegation is that he contaminated some of these instruments with semen,” Joan Lucid, superintendent of the Saugus Union School District, notified parents on Saturday, the Orange County Register reported.

The performer was not immediately identified.

Messages seeking comment from John Zeretzke, founder of Flutes Across the World, were not immediately returned Saturday night.

Parents in some districts were urged to put the flutes in paper bags and turn them in to authorities for testing.

KNBC-TV reported that a parent identified only as Nate went to the police station in Fountain Valley on Friday night to turn in a flute given to his child, who attends Courreges Elementary School.

“It's disgusting, it's unreal, you can't even really fathom it,” another parent, who wished to not be named, told the station. “It made me sick to my

stomach.”

Flutes Across the World has provided musical presentations at several local school districts. The Fullerton School District said fourth- through sixth-graders at two schools had the program in the 2016-2017 school year.

Presenters at such programs “are never alone with children” but the performer won't return to the district out of “an abundance of caution,” the district said on its website.

The district said the music program was sponsored by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

The society sponsored Flutes Across the World to bring the program to six classrooms in three years, spokesman Chantel Uchida told the Register.

“We're so shocked and disgusted,” Uchida said of the allegations. “We will be stepping back from this.

There are no plans to continue it in the future.”

video of Thompson inside the casino on the day of his death was captured.

Honea also said pursuing the Thompson investigation took detectives to Kern County, Vacaville, Riverside County, Sacramento, and three times to Santa Cruz.

“We believe there are people who are close to Marc who have insights into his disappearance” and who have withheld that information from investigators, Honea said. “That hasn’t deterred us from pursuing this investigation. … There is some evidence that’s been collected that could pay dividends in the future.”

Whatever Marc Thompson’s goals might have been in life, they would have been simple and “focused on doing good for society and others,” wrote Withers, the ex-Butte instructor who was his friend and mentor.

Due to his forcefulness and passion, Marc became involved through Withers in “If These Halls Could Talk,” a film made in the Bay Area that included Marc and other college students. In Lee’s director’s cut of the film, Marc at one point responds to a young white man who says he shouldn’t have to feel guilt for the past sins that whites have visited upon blacks: “You have to. You have to inherit the guilt; you have to inherit the shame.”

His path seemed clear to Marc Thompson when he recorded a short video about himself at Chico State not long before his murder. With an anti-hate message scrawled on his cheek and clad in Wildcat red – red shirt, red do-rag, red ball cap turned backward – Thompson closed by saying: “I hope to one day become a professor where I can instill my passion into the next generation and hopefully become the change I wish to see in the world.”

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NOTICE OF HEARING Date: OCT 2, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Dept: A The address of the court is: Same as noted above.

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER Date: July 17, 2017 DARRELL MAVIS JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT YOUR NAME HERE, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd.., Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Phone: (424) 243-5699 In Pro Per LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER E50123456 LASC-NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT BURBANK COURTHOUSE 300 EAST OLIVE AVENUE BURBANK, CA 91502 PETITION OF: YOUR NAME HERE TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner:YOUR NAME HERE for a decree changing names as follows: Present name YOUR NAME HERE Filed a petition with this court Proposed name YOUR NAME HERE THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted if no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: OCT 2, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Dept: A The address of the court is: Same as noted above.

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER Date: July 17, 2017 DARRELL MAVIS JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT YOUR NAME HERE, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd.., Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Phone: (424) 243-5699 In Pro Per LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER E50123456 LASC-NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT BURBANK COURTHOUSE 300 EAST OLIVE AVENUE BURBANK, CA 91502 PETITION OF: YOUR NAME HERE TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner:YOUR NAME HERE for a decree changing names as follows: Present name YOUR NAME HERE Filed a petition with this court Proposed name YOUR NAME HERE THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court

Los Angeles News Observer

Page A3

Legal Notices/ Classifieds

days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted if no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: OCT 2, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Dept: A The address of the court is: Same as noted above.

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER Date: July 17, 2017 DARRELL MAVIS JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT YOUR NAME HERE, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd.., Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Phone: (424) 243-5699 In Pro Per LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 1234-B0567 Doing business as: YOUR FICTITIOUS AD HERE at 5550 Grosvenor Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Mailing Address: Same County: Los Angeles Full name of registrant: Johnny Appleseed, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 This business is conducted by: Individual SIGNED: Jim Johnson The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles county on: Aug 30, 2017 This fictitious Business Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the County Clerk’s Office. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another to a trademark or trade name under federal, state, or common law (see section 14411 ET SEQ., business and professions code).

I declare that all information in this Statement is true and correct. (A) Registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime This statement expires on Jun 22, 2021 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 1234-B0567 Doing business as: YOUR FICTITIOUS AD HERE at 5550 Grosvenor Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Mailing Address: Same County: Los Angeles Full name of registrant: Johnny Appleseed, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 This business is conducted by: Individual SIGNED: Jim Johnson The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles county on: Aug 30, 2017 This fictitious Business Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the County Clerk’s Office. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another to a trademark or trade name under federal, state, or common law (see section 14411 ET SEQ., business and professions code).

I declare that all information in this Statement is true and correct. (A) Registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime This statement expires on Jun 22, 2021 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 1234-B0567 Doing business as: YOUR FICTITIOUS AD HERE at 5550 Grosvenor Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Mailing Address: Same County: Los Angeles Full name of registrant: Johnny Appleseed, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 This business is conducted by: Individual SIGNED: Jim Johnson The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles county on: Aug 30, 2017 This fictitious Business Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the County Clerk’s Office. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another to a trademark or trade name under federal, state, or common law (see section 14411 ET SEQ., business and professions code).

I declare that all information in this Statement is true and correct. (A) Registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of a crime This statement expires on Jun 22, 2021 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER E50123456 LASC-NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT BURBANK COURTHOUSE 300 EAST OLIVE AVENUE BURBANK, CA 91502 PETITION OF: YOUR NAME HERE TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner:YOUR NAME HERE for a decree changing names as follows: Present name YOUR NAME HERE Filed a petition with this court

Proposed name YOUR NAME HERE THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted if no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: OCT 2, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Dept: A The address of the court is: Same as noted above.

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER Date: July 17, 2017 DARRELL MAVIS JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT YOUR NAME HERE, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd.., Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Phone: (424) 243-5699 In Pro Per LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER E50123456 LASC-NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT BURBANK COURTHOUSE 300 EAST OLIVE AVENUE BURBANK, CA 91502 PETITION OF: YOUR NAME HERE TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner:YOUR NAME HERE for a decree changing names as follows: Present name YOUR NAME HERE Filed a petition with this court Proposed name YOUR NAME HERE THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted if no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: OCT 2, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Dept: A The address of the court is: Same as noted above.

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER Date: July 17, 2017 DARRELL MAVIS JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT YOUR NAME HERE, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd.., Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Phone: (424) 243-5699 In Pro Per LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER E50123456 LASC-NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT BURBANK COURTHOUSE 300 EAST OLIVE AVENUE BURBANK, CA 91502 PETITION OF: YOUR NAME HERE TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner:YOUR NAME HERE for a decree changing names as follows: Present name YOUR NAME HERE Filed a petition with this court Proposed name YOUR NAME HERE THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted if no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: OCT 2, 2017 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Dept: A. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER Date: July 17, 2017 DARRELL MAVIS JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT YOUR NAME HERE, 5550 Grosvenor Blvd.., Los Angeles, Ca. 90066 Phone: (424) 243-5699 In Pro Per LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14, 21, 2017

Stanford RB Bryce Love Lands Walter Camp Award

Photo-Stanford Athletics

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer Stanford’s Bryce Love and Wisconsin’s D’Cota Dixon were Named Walter Camp National FBS Players of the Week, presented by Generation UCAN. Love set a Stanford single-game rushing record with 301 yards (on just 25 carries) and scored three touchdowns as the Cardinal defeated Arizona State, 34-24. Love scored on runs of 61, 43 and 59 yards as Stanford improved to 3-2, 2-1 in the Pac 12. For the season Love has 98 carries for 1088 yards. Can you say Heisman candidate? The Wake Forest, North Carolina native is the fifth Stanford player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors

since 2004, and the first since running back Christian McCaffrey (Nov. 22, 2015).

A native of Oak Hill Florida (Smyrna Beach High) Dixon recorded 12 tackles (5 solo), including 1.5 for losses as Wisconsin defeated Northwestern, 33-24. Dixon also sealed the victory for the Badgers when he tackled Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson in the end zone for safety. With the win, Wisconsin improves to 4-0, 1-0 in the Big Ten. This is the 14th year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Football Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season.

Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Foundation.

LaVar Ball Pulling Son LaMelo Out of SoCal High School LOS ANGELES (AP) _ LaVar Ball is pulling his 16-year-old son LaMelo out of his Southern California high school to be home schooled and so he can be made into “the best basketball player ever.”

LaVar told The Los Angeles Times that LaMelo, a junior, will leave Chino Hills High School on Tuesday so he will have fewer distractions and better focus.

LaMelo is considered one of the nation’s top high school recruits and has committed to play at UCLA,

where his brother Lonzo played last season. Lonzo is now a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers and their brother, LiAngelo, will be a freshman at UCLA. LaMelo, who scored 92 points in a game for Chino Hills, will focus on playing for his father’s travel team, Big Baller Brand.

LaVar has grabbed attention over the past year with exaggerated claims and headline-grabbing antics.

LAS VEGAS (AP) _ Former heavyweight champion George Foreman has challenged big-screen tough guy Steven Seagal to a real-life fight.

The 68-year-old Foreman posted a picture of the 65-year-old Seagal on Twitter on Monday, writing: “I challenge you One on one, I use boxing you can use whatever. 10 rounds in Vegas.”

When fans asked Foreman on Twitter why he wanted to fight Seagal, Foreman replied that the mar-

tial artist “really can fight” and is big enough to defend himself. Foreman first won the heavyweight title in 1973 and again in 1994.

Seagal made headlines last week for saying that NFL players kneeling during the national anthem were a “joke” and an “outrage.”

A representative for Seagal told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the star didn't want to comment on Foreman's offer.

George Foreman Challenges Steven Seagal to 10-Rounds

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Page A4

Features

Los Angeles News Observer

Thursday October 5, 2017

Government Jobs Sprouting as Legal Pot Looms

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP)- Scientists. Tax collectors.

Typists. Analysts. Lawyers. And more scientists.

Recreational marijuana use becomes legal in California in 2018, and one of the things to blossom in the emerging industry isn't green and leafy - it's government jobs.

The state is on a hiring binge to fill what eventually will be hundreds of new government positions by 2019 intended to bring order to the legal pot economy, from keeping watch on what's seeping into streams near cannabis grows to running background checks on storefront sellers who want government licenses. Thousands of additional jobs are expected to be added by local governments.

The swiftly expanding bureaucracy represents just one aspect of the complex challenge faced by California: Come January, the state will unite its longstanding medical cannabis industry with the newly legalized recreational one, creating what will be the United States' largest legal pot economy.

Last January, just 11 full-time workers were part of what's now known as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the state's chief regulatory agency overseeing the pot market. Now, it's more than doubled, and by February the agency expects to have more than 100 staffers.

The agency is moving into new offices later this year, having outgrown its original quarters. It's expected new satellite offices will eventually spread around the state.

There also will be scores of jobs added to issue licenses for sellers, growers, truck drivers, manufacturers and others working in the projected $7 billion industry. The state has taken to Facebook to lure applicants.

The bureau is using a video snippet of actor Jim Carrey, hammering his fingers into a computer keyboard, to catch the eye of prospective applicants online. “Get those applications in ... before this guy beats you to it,” it reads.

“New job just ahead,” reads another post. “We're hiring.”

This year's state budget contained about $100 million to fund regulatory programs for marijuana, which includes personnel to review and issue licenses, watch over environmental conditions and carry out enforcement.

Planned hiring into 2018 covers a range of state agencies: Fifty people are bound for the Public Health Department, 65 are slated to join the Water Resources Control Board, and 60 new employees are expected at the Food and Agriculture Department, which will oversee licensing for cultivators.

Some of the work is highly specialized.

Environmental scientists will be responsible for developing standards for pot grows near streams, to make sure fertilizer or pesticides do not taint the water or harm fish. An engineer will monitor groundwater and water being diverted to nourish plants. Lawyers are needed to help sort out complex issues involving the state's maze of environmental laws.

Pay varies with position but can be attractive, with some scientist posts paying over $100,000 annually. Special investigators with the Consumer Affairs Department could earn in the $80,000 range.

Policing cannabis cultivation, legal and not, has been a long-running concern in the state. Recently, Republican state Sen. Ted Gaines of El Dorado urged Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency in Siskiyou County because of what he called rampant illegal marijuana grows.

Gaines said criminals are treating the county as “their own illicit greenhouse” while polluting waterways with pesticides and other waste.

Meanwhile, the state and local governments are rushing to enact rules to govern the new pot economy, a process that so far has produced mixed results.

The state says it will be ready to begin issuing licenses in January, albeit temporary ones.

In coastal Mendocino County, about 700 cultivators have applied for local permits, though it's estimated thousands of people grow pot in the county north of San Francisco. The fear is that many growers and sellers will remain in the black market, undercutting legitimate sales.

“My biggest concern is that the state regulations may prove to be so onerous that it will discourage people who want to be legally compliant from coming forward,” said John McCowen, who chairs the county Board of Supervisors.

“And that will mean greater opportunity for those operating in the black market,” McCowen added.

While the state is adding jobs to oversee the marketplace, law enforcement will face new demands

that come with a price tag, from keeping roads free of stoned drivers to helping weed out illegal operators.

The California Highway Patrol is expanding training for officers to identify “buzzed” drivers. In cities that permit cultivation, manufacturing or sales, police duties could also include protecting legitimate operators from gangs intent on pushing them out of business.

And a key issue will be keeping legally grown pot from moving into the black market.

To combat illegal activity, whether through code enforcement or police, “we are going to have to invest,” said Gardena Police Chief Edward Medrano, who heads the California Police Chiefs Association.

The News Observer Online

ognsc.com

O.J. Simpson Out of Prison After Nine Years

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) _ Former football legend O.J. Simpson became a free man Sunday after serving nine years for a botched hotel room heist in Las Vegas that brought the conviction and prison time he avoided in the killings of his ex-wife and her friend after his 1995 acquittal in the “trial of the century” in Los Angeles.

Simpson was released at 12:08 a.m. PDT from Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada, state prisons spokeswoman Brooke Keast told The Associated Press. She said she did not know the driver who met Simpson upon his release and didn’t know where Simpson was immediately headed in his first hours of freedom.

“I don’t have any information on where he’s going,” said Keast, who watched as Simpson signed documents and was let go.

Her department released video on social media

of Simpson being told to “come on out” by a prison staffer, exiting through an open door. He could be seen responding “OK” as he left, wearing a ball cap, denim jacket, jeans and white tennis shoes.

Tom Scotto, a close Simpson friend who lives in Naples, Florida, said by text message that he was with Simpson following his release. Scotto didn’t respond to questions about where they were going or whether Simpson’s sister, Shirley Baker of Sacramento, California, or his daughter, Arnelle Simpson of Fresno, California, were with him.

The three had attended Simpson’s parole hearing in July at the same prison where Simpson spent his prison term and was released just minutes into the first day a parole board set for his possible release.

Simpson has said he wanted to move back to Florida, where he lived before his armed robbery conviction in Las Vegas in a September 2007 confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers.

But Florida prison officials said documents

weren’t filed, and the state attorney general says she doesn’t want Simpson to live in the state.

Neither Simpson’s attorney, Malcolm LaVergne in Las Vegas, nor state Parole and Probation Capt.

Shawn Arruti, who has been handling Simpson’s case, immediately responded to messages.

Keast said the dead-of-night release from the prison about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Reno, Nevada, was conducted to avoid media attention.

“We needed to do this to ensure public safety and to avoid any possible incident,” Keast added, speaking by telephone. She spoke from Lovelock, where she said she witnessed Simpson signing documents to be released.

The 70-year-old Simpson gains his freedom after being granted parole at a hearing in July. Unlike the last time he went free, 22 years ago, he will face restrictions _ up to five years of parole supervision _ and he’s unlikely to escape public scrutiny as the man who morphed from charismatic football hero, movie star and TV personality into suspected killer and convicted armed robber.

Simpson was looking forward to reuniting with his family, eating a steak and some seafood and moving back to Florida, LaVergne said recently.

Simpson also plans to get an iPhone and get reacquainted with technology that was in its infancy when he was sent to prison in 2008, his attorney said.

The Florida Department of Corrections, however, said officials had not received a transfer request or required documents, and the attorney general said the state didn’t want him.

“The specter of his residing in comfort in Florida should not be an option,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on Friday. “Our state should not become a country club for this convicted criminal.”

Simpson lost his home near Miami to foreclosure in 2012. But two of his children, Justin and Sydney, also live in Florida.

He could live at least temporarily in Las Vegas, where a friend let Simpson use his home for five weeks during his robbery trial.

His five years of parole supervision could be reduced with credits for good behavior.

It’s a new chapter for the one-time pop culture phenomenon whose fame was once again on display when the major TV networks carried his parole hear-

ing live.

He told officials that leading a group of men into a 2007 armed confrontation was an error in judgment he would not repeat.

He told the parole board that he led a “conflict-free life,” an assertion that angered many who believe he got away with killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in 1994.

Simpson was once an electrifying running back dubbed “Juice” who won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best college football player for USC in 1968 and became one of the NFL’s all-time greats with the Buffalo Bills.

Handsome and charming, he also provided commentary on “Monday Night Football,” became the face of Hertz rental-car commercials and built a movie career with roles in the “Naked Gun” comedies and other films.

Simpson fell from grace when he was arrested in the slayings, after a famous “slow-speed” Ford Bronco chase on California freeways. His subsequent trial became a live-TV sensation that fascinated viewers with its testimony about a bloody glove that didn’t fit and unleashed furious debate over race, police and celebrity justice.

A jury swiftly acquitted him, but two years later, Simpson was found liable in civil court for the killings and ordered to pay $33.5 million to survivors, including his children and Goldman’s family.

He is still on the hook for the judgment, which now amounts to about $65 million, according to a Goldman family lawyer.

On Sept. 16, 2007, he led five men he barely knew to the Palace Station casino in Las Vegas in an effort to retrieve items that Simpson insisted were stolen after his acquittal in the 1994 slayings. Two of the men with Simpson in Las Vegas carried handguns, although Simpson still insists he never knew anyone was armed. He says he only wanted to retrieve personal items, mementos and family photos.

He went to prison in 2008, receiving a stiff sentence that his lawyers said was unfair.

If the nation’s Simpson obsession waned for a while, it resurged last year with the Emmy-winning FX miniseries, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” and the Oscar-winning documentary “O.J.: Made in America.”

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Entertainment Los Angeles News Observer

Page A5

The Evolution of Super Teams in the NBA

By Cameron Buford Whatsgoodinsports.com No man has yet to win championships alone. For years an NBA team needed two superstars to become championship contenders. Some of the most talented players the league has seen haven’t been able to carry out this feat. A Superstar’s leading role plays an important factor. They are the guys that lead the way to win a title but not without consistency and a solid team to back them.

In recent years, the Boston Celtics created the first “Super Team” by teaming Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen with Paul Pierce to become champions they had hoped to be. This team seemed different than what we see today because it was the Celtics’ management that put this team together through a series of trades.

Since then we have seen the best players in the league conspire to create the “Super Team”.

Whether it was the uniting of talent between on the Miami Heat, in Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Or that of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the aforementioned, Ray Allen. Once LeBron James took his talents back to Cleveland and teamed up with Kyrie Irvin- creating a NBA “Super Team” have become commonplace. Further evidence supports this creation of a “Super Team” to be true as observed in the most recent NBA Championship. Although most of the talent on the Golden State Warriors has been developed internally, the addition of 2014 NBA MVP, Kevin Durant has made the Golden State Warriors inevitably the team to beat for years to come.

Notwithstanding, the Oklahoma City Thunder have drafted very well and their management has done a wonderful job of assembling great talent on their squad. In fact, they drafted 2 of the last 4 Most Valuable Players in the league as well as the 2015

runner-up, James Harden. Unfortunately, they lost James Harden and Kevin Durant to free agency. The saving grace for them and their fans is that they were able to re-sign the 2017 MVP, Russell Westbrook.

The Solutions to Impact Change

By Cameron Buford Whatsgoodinsports.comwhats Unless you’ve been under a rock this past week, you should know about the peaceful protest that Colin Kaepernick initiated last season and was soon followed by other NFL players participation. Just last week, the POTUS challenged the NFL and the peaceful protests in an unprecedented way. As a result, we’ve seen various NFL owners unite with their players to show solidarity. This became a national controversy that provoked opinions, questions and concerns from many people of various backgrounds.

But the questions remain: What are the next steps?

What are some of the solutions to impact change dealing with police brutality and racial inequalities.

Many of the NFL players who are part of the protest feel like social awareness needs to be raised from these “peaceful protests” around the league.

It’s been mentioned that many people think politics have no place in sports. However, politics have been a part of sports since before Branch Ricky broke the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Furthermore, the simple idea that the National Anthem is played before sporting events brings politics into sports. Though there were many signs of unity from the NFL Owners and players last week, I fear that many of those demonstrations fell hollow. Simply because Kaepernick remains unemployed and the owners didn’t offer their support for the cause, until they were challenged by our Commander in Chief.

Most of the players that have joined in on the “peaceful protest” of the National Anthem, have specifically mentioned that they have no intention of disrespecting our country, disparaging the American Flag, or belittling the Soldiers that have fought for the freedoms the flag represents, as well as defended this country. Now that the players have grabbed the ear of the country; the question must be asked what do we do now to implement change, or what should be next steps be to enjoy the change the players would like to see?

Malcom Jenkins, safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Doug Baldwin, wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, have offered some solid suggestions, during their participation in the CNN Town Hall hosted by Anderson Cooper, to implement the change they would like to see: • More accountability and transparency from law enforcement • Law enforcement should work closer with the community to develop more trust with local law enforcement • More resources for law enforcement so they can be provided more trainings to better employ de-escalation tactics in tough situations • Better policies and protocols for law enforcement • More funding and resources for educational programs in the schools • Bring back the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in the schools All of these are great solutions outlined by Jenkins and Baldwin that may impact the change that is sought by concerned NFL players, coaching staff and owners to address systemic racial injustices that many minorities have been exposed to or have experienced in our country. In order to impact change, solutions are needed. Please share with “What’s Good In Sports” what changes you would like to see implemented to create the social change the NFL players are “peacefully protesting” for?

Thought it is the most lucrative contract in NBA’s history, OKC GM, Sam Presti was able to get the Westbrook deal done. In addition, Presti was able to replace the talent they lost in the afore mentioned

Harden and Durant with the newly acquired Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. These acquisitions now allow OKC to compete in the increasingly competitive Western Conference.

Bruins Hang On

Krys Barnes of Liberty High School Bakersfield, CA (UCLA Athletics)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The UCLA Bruins ran their record to 3-2 (1-1) with a 27-24 win over the Colorado Buffalos at the Rose Bowl. Bruin QB Josh Rosen continued his solid pace connecting on 28 of 45 passes for 372 yards and 1 TD. Darren Andrews had eight catches for 96 yards while junior Jordan Lasley hauled in seven for 146 yards. On the day Rosen completed passes to eight different receivers.

Kenny Young had 12 tackles for Jaleel Wadoo had 8 and Adrui Picket chipped in with 7. Bakers-

field’s Krys Barnes (Liberty High School) had 2 as the bruins gave up 191 yards on the ground. Quarterback Steven Montez completed 17 of 36 for 243 to lead the Buffs who ran up 452 yards of offense. Devin Ross (Altadena) had 5 catches for 55 yards and Jay MacIntyre had 4 for 71 yards including a 31 yarder.

Bruin Notes: In the win against Colorado TE Celeb Wilson injured his foot and he will miss the rest of the season. Wilson 38 receptions was second on the team behind with Darren Andrews(40). The have a bye week before traveling to Tucson to take on Arizona Oct. 14.

Trojans Fall to WSU

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer Several years ago former Washington state University Head coach Mike Price told me – “The Heart and soul of WSU football comes from Washington but the arms and legs come from California.” To this day that statement is so true and it was apparent last week as the #16 Cougars defeated #5 USC 30-27 in front of 33,773 in Pullman. It was a PAC-12 Friday night special televised on ESPN. The Cougars walk-on QB Luke Faulk completed 34 of 51 passes for 340 yards for 2 touchdowns including a sixty-one yarder to Renard Bell (Catheral High).

Kyle Sweet (Santa Margarita High) a junior wide receiver had five catches for 42 yards.

Bell finished with 3 catches for 101 yards. He also had a 23 yard kick return.

Erik Powell kicked three field goals of 44 and 33 yards- however the biggest was a 32 yarder with 3:20 on the clock which turned out to be the game winner.

WSU rolled up 462 yards of offense to Trojans -327.

The win was the first by a WSU over top five

ranked team since 1992. The win also snapped a 15 game home losing streak to ranked opponents.

“I think its just a stepping stone,” said Faulk. “We expect to win games like this. Hopefully from here on out guys will continue of competing in games like these. Right now it’s a stepping stone” Sam Darnold completed 15 of 29 passes for 164 yards for the Trojans 4-1 (2-1 PAC-12). Though he had no passing touchdowns he ran for two scores. It was Darnold’s lowest productive game stat wise he has had in his Trojan career.

The Trojans had lineman Chuma Edoga leave the game with a leg injury early. He joined center Nick Falah and Toa Loberman who were out with injuries already.

Ronald Jones II rushed for 135 yards on 14 carries. WR Tyler Vaughns stepped up with 6 catches for 89 yards. He helped fill in for the injured Jalen Green who was sidelined the entire second half with an injury.

On the Defensive side DB Marvel Tell and Ajene Harris had seven tackles a piece. The Trojan take on Oregon State at the Coliseum Saturday at 1:00 PM.

Renard Bell former Catheral high standout

The News Observer Online

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Los Angeles News Observer

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Kicked to the Curb: How USC Drove a Bicycle Repairman Into the Street

By Lovell Estell III capitalandmain.com On a pleasantly warm afternoon, Aaron Flournoy is busy tightening the wheel on a young woman’s bicycle while three other cyclists wait nearby for his services. His mobile bike repair business, called Lil Bill’s Bike Shop, operates curbside at the busy intersection of Hoover Street and Jefferson Boulevard, directly across from an entrance to the University of Southern California campus.

His location gives him a sweeping view of the enormous, recently opened USC Village complex.

Flournoy’s small truck functions as a tool chest/office, and shares the street with a pair of food vans hectic with business from students on their way to classes.

Flournoy, or “Lil Bill,” as he has come to be known, honed his people skills by working with his father for many years. He is well known and well thought of around the campus, and is determined to carry on a family tradition and keep his business afloat.

But to remain afloat, he has had to stay on the move, as the university has forced him to move twice before he took his business to the street. For over 40 years, Flournoy’s dad owned and operated Bill’s Bike Shop on Jefferson. It was a gathering place for locals, and Bill Sr. and Lil Bill catered to the biking needs of USC students and the surrounding community.

“They loved him,” Flournoy said of his dad, adding that every year, his father and some family friends would buy cases of food and barbecue and feed the neighborhood.

Bill Sr. retired in January and sold his small building, which sits amidst other nondescript, faded structures. Its current owner is a trust company, and according to Flournoy, the building is one of a few in the area slated for demolition to make room for student housing.

Knowing that his father was retiring, Flournoy last year started his own bike repair business out of a shed in the parking lot of a privately-owned church.

He was doing well there, until the school purchased the property.

University officials then told him he would have to relocate, this time near the university’s dentistry school. But when he moved there, he soon ran up

against the fact that a bicycle-shop tenant in the new USC Village holds a no-compete clause in its contract with the university. Flournoy then became a street vendor.

Decades of gentrification have profoundly affected the residents, neighborhoods and small businesses bordering the USC campus. There once was a running joke among UCLA students across town about USC’s “tacky ghetto location.” But private developers and the university have succeeded over the years in transforming the area—which more and more is starting to resemble UCLA’s Westwood neighborhood — and in catering to the escalating demand for student housing.

Many of the school’s adjoining streets that were once home to a robust community of working class African-American and Latino families are now occupied by student residences and an expanding territory of fraternity and sorority houses. Over time, this change in the neighborhood has resulted in rising rents and a shortage of affordable housing for residents, many of whom have been forced to relocate.

Poverty, chronic unemployment and underemployment have also taken a toll. Despite the university investing $35 million annually in the community, the median income level for the University Park area hovers slightly above the federal poverty level of $24,600 for a family of four. The 2015 USC State of the Neighborhood Report says that since 2000, there has been an 11.5 percent increase in the number of area families living in poverty.

“When we talk about gentrification, we normally think, ‘Well, that’s good, we’ll have new jobs and wealthier people moving in,’ but the fact that economically vulnerable people will be further impacted or forced out isn’t mentioned,” said Joe Donlin, the associate director of Strategic Actions for a Just Economy and its director of Equitable Development.

Donlin’s nonprofit has been working with USC to address some of the economic and social issues surrounding construction of USC Village.

The northwest corner of Jefferson and Hoover – where a strip mall, discount supermarket, small businesses and mom-and-pop eateries once stood – is now wholly occupied by the $700 million resort-style

Aaron Flournoy (right) of Lil Bill’s Bike Shop is determined to carry on a family tradition and keep his business afloat. But gentrification around USC has pushed him out of two locations. (Photos: Lovell Estell III)

USC Village. Three years in the making, the complex opened in August to great fanfare. It’s a 15-acre development consisting of six buildings with luxury features like a massive dining hall, 30,000-square-foot fitness center, residential suites for students and over 148,000 square feet of retail space. Which brings us back to Aaron Flournoy.

One of the Village’s new retail tenants is Solé Bicycles, a shop selling “fashion forward yet affordable bicycles,” according to its website. Flournoy’s relocation to near the dentistry school was halted when officials told him he would have to pack up and leave the campus because of Solé Bicycle’s no-compete clause.

There was to be no competition from other bike businesses on campus. Months of fruitless back and forth with the school included a job offer from Solé.

“I have my own business,” Flournoy said. “I don’t want to work for anybody.” He then left his shed and

moved his business to the street in August.

“It’s disgusting the way the school has treated Lil Bill,” SAJE’s Donlin said. Solé Bicycles and the university have not responded to requests for comment.

Lil Bill Flournoy remains optimistic about his business and his recent conversion to street vendor status, and he seems to have adjusted to the many changes that have beset his life.

“I’m on city property so they can’t say anything,” he said with a chuckle. He has much support and many friends around campus. Many students stop by to say hello, and there is an online petition circulating with over 6,500 signatures supporting him.

“I would like to stay right where I am,” Flournoy said. “Being here, the kids can see me, they know me.

Being on campus had me under a lot of stress and restrictions, but being off-campus has opened up some new opportunities for me.”

Black Church’s Aren’t as Split as Some Suggest Lyft Rides in October a Dollar

Will Be Donated to Easterseals

LOS ANGELES — Sept. 28, 2017 — Lyft has partnered with Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) – which assists more than 10,000 people with disabilities – for an October fundraiser.

Assessor Launches Website, Newsletter as Resources for Real Estate Professionals California Sen. Kamala Harris (AP photo)

By BILL BARROW Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) _ Making her first high-profile foray into the Southern black church, California Sen. Kamala Harris told a Georgia congregation founded by former freed slaves that the United States remains wracked by racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination that flout the nation’s core values.

But the rising Democratic Party star added that Americans aren’t as split as “forces of hate and division’’ suggest. “I believe it is time we replace the divide-and-conquer,’’ she said from the pulpit of First Congregational Church in downtown Atlanta, adding that national unity comes from citizens’ recognizing their share priorities while still honoring diversity.

A 52-year-old, first-term senator widely mentioned as a potential national candidate, Harris did not mention President Donald Trump in her remarks.

Yet her approach highlights a complex political task for Democrats as they try to counter Trump’s economic appeals to working-class whites, while honoring their core supporters among nonwhites, to rebuild the electoral coalitions that twice elected President Barack Obama. And the choice of venue _ a congregation that includes business, civic and political players in Atlanta’s black community _ also nods to a Democratic constituency that helped sway the party’s last two presidential nominating battles.

Harris’s future prospects dominated her appearance as the invited keynote for the 150th anniversary of First Congregational Church’s founding.

Introducing Harris, church member and personal friend of the senator Eugene Duffy called the occasion “a day of projection and reflection.’’ At the word “projection,’’ Duffy pointed at the senator.

Duffy also dispensed with Harris’s avoidance of lambasting the Trump administration, praising her

for her aggressive questioning of “that white supremacist Jeff Sessions,’’ the nation’s attorney general. He said Harris “pulled (Sessions’) sheet off’’ at hearings on Capitol Hill.

Harris smiled but did not clap as did many congregants when Duffy blasted Sessions.

From the pulpit, Harris criticized “the attorney general,’’ without naming Sessions, for renewing the push for harsher sentences in nonviolent drug crimes and for rolling back some of policing overhauls from the Obama administration.

A former local prosecutor and California attorney general who opposes the death penalty, Harris says she advocates a criminal justice system that honors “the concept of redemption.’’

Separately, Harris called for a more effective U.S. response to hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico. She did not mention health care. She’s recently signed on as a co-sponsor of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare-for-all’’ bill.

Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, does not publicly embrace speculation about her 2020 intentions. Her calendar is noticeably devoid of visits to the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But she’s also met in recent months with key Democratic donors and hired aides who worked for 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

And her path to the Democratic nomination would certainly run through voters like those she addressed Sunday in Atlanta. Obama in 2008 and Clinton in 2016 each lost the cumulative white vote in Democratic primary states, according to exit polls, but both of the eventual nominees won black voters overwhelmingly, propelling them to key victories in Southern states that gave them early delegate leads they never relinquished.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Assessor Jeffrey Prang has released new, web-based resources for realtorsand other real estate professionals. The new “Real Estate Professionals Toolkit” tab on the Assessor’s website (assessor.lacounty.gov/real-estate-professionals-toolkit) features information intended to educate these professionals on the property assessment system and to inform clients of the opportunities and challenges associated with purchasing and owning property in the County of Los Angeles.

The website includes public education information that realtors are encouraged to share with clients and prospective clients through their on-going marketing campaigns. Examples of the type of information featured on this website include property tax-saving measures, such as the Homeowner’s Exemption and how to transfer property to children or grandchildren without being re-assessed, and information about the risk of re-assessment when transferring property into a trust or an LLC. “Knowledgeable real estate professionals are critical when purchasing and owning real estate in the County of Los Angeles,” said Assessor Prang.

“The Office of the Assessor can be a valuable resource to better educate these professionals, who are also great message carriers for the programs and services we provide,” he continued. “Creating a stronger partnership with real estate professionals helps the County, the real estate industry, and most importantly the tax- paying public.”

Much of the information now available on the Assessor’s website, including that tailored toward real estate professionals, is the result of collaboration between the Office of the Assessor and local Associations of Realtors.

Catch a ride with Lyft any time in October and enter code LYFT4EASTERSEALS into the “Promos” section of your app to receive $1 off your ride plus $1 will be donated to ESSC to support services for people with disabilities. (Offer good for one ride per customer in Los Angeles and Orange counties only.

Valid Oct. 1-31, 2017.)

Said Mark Whitley, president & CEO of ESSC, “Lyft riders can travel safely during the month of October and make a difference for children and adults with disabilities in our communities. It’s a winwin. Easterseals appreciates the support which helps our organization provide exceptional services, which make profound and positive differences in the lives of people with special needs every day.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with an organization like Easterseals for the month of October and to bring the Southern California community together for a great cause,” said Allen Narcisse, Lyft Southern California general manager.

About Easterseals Southern California For nearly 100 years, Easterseals has been an indispensable resource for people and families living with developmental disabilities or other special needs.

The services provided by Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) – in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Imperial, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties – make profound and positive differences in people’s lives every day, helping them address life’s challenges and achieve personal goals so that they can live, learn, work and play in our communities. With 2,300 employees, 60+ service sites and hundreds of community partnership locations, each year ESSC assists more than 10,000 people, providing adult/senior day services; autism therapy; child development/early education; employment services, veteran employment support; independent living options; and more. At Easterseals, 87% of our income is spent on services.

Join us in changing the way the world defines and views disabilities.

About Lyft Lyft was founded in June 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation. Lyft is the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S. and is available to 94% of the U.S. population. Lyft is preferred by drivers and passengers for its safe and friendly experience and its commitment to effecting positive change for the future of our cities.