New Pittsburgh Courier back issues from September 2007:
Battle of bands viewed as carrot to college
Sep 05, 2007; ... Those who attend the upcoming Pitt-Grambling football game in Oakland will not only enjoy the rarity of seeing the historically Black university's team in action, but also its nationally renowned band, the Marching Tigers. Some local high schoolers, though, will enjoy the day even more ...
Study: 46,000 Blacks 'missing' from construction sites
Sep 05, 2007; ... As the city gears up for the construction of the Pittsburgh Penguins' new multi-purpose arena and Don Barden's Majestic Star casino, a new study indicates that if conditions remain as they are, African-Americans will get few of the construction-related jobs. The national study released ...
What 'Redd Up'? The slum next door
Sep 05, 2007; ... Soon after Home Solutions of Pittsburgh LLC bought the multi-unit building next door to Pauline Criswell's Perrysville Avenue home three years ago, the caliber of the tenants changed. The quiet, elderly residents, she said, were replaced by drug users, dealers and young women being ...
Man claims police Tasered him while asleep
Sep 05, 2007; ... An early morning response to a home security system in July has left a North Braddock man literally and figuratively "shocked" by what he says occurred. North Braddock resident Shawn Hicks has filed a complaint with the borough's police department claiming two of its officers entered his ...
57 of 71 homicides Black lives
Sep 05, 2007; ... Eight August murders bring total to 71 deaths Violent crimes continue to prey upon Black communities in cities across America, and Pittsburgh is no exception. Last year during August there were seven homicides in Allegheny County; last month there were eight. As part of an ...
Crowds turn out for London carnival
Sep 05, 2007; ... LONDON-Hundreds of thousands of revelers took to the streets recently for the climax of the Notting Hill Carnival, a loud, proud and raucous celebration of Caribbean cultures. The annual two-day festival, which features elaborate floats and processions of brightly dressed calypso ...
This Week in Black History
Sep 05, 2007; ... Week of Sept. 6-12 September 6 1865-One of the great white heroes of Black history, Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, first proposed an addition to the Freemen's Bureau Act, which would have required the confiscation of land from former slave owners and the ...
Clergy around the nation react to news of Bynum beating
Sep 05, 2007; ... WASHINGTON (NNPA)-Bishop T. D. Jakes says he is hoping recent separation and divorce announcements of Christian power couples, including the hotel parking lot beating of prophetess Juanita Bynum-Weeks by her minister husband, won't deter marriages. "I don't want to comment on their ...
Metro Beat
Sep 05, 2007; ... Assistance sought for Lawton In an effort to alleviate legal bills for Pamela Lawton, OneHOOD has reached out to the community. In addition to an ongoing e-mail campaign encouraging District Attorney Stephen Zappalla to dismiss disorderly conduct charges against Lawton, OneHOOD has asked ...
Diversity doesn't need to be forced
Sep 05, 2007; ... Supporters of racial preferences think the U.S. Supreme Court's recent rejection of preferences in school admissions heralds the death of diversity in America. Critics of the court's promotion of race-neutral standards believe enforced diversity diminishes discrimination and is necessary for ...
Football father
Sep 05, 2007; ... The Way I See It My two oldest boys began playing tackle football this year and I have been, to put it mildly, ecstatic. Had they chosen something I have little passion for-say soccer-while I would still encourage them, I doubt I would currently be slipping down the slope into Little ...
Housing crisis reduces Black wealth
Sep 05, 2007; ... Commentary Homeownership is one of the best ways for African-American families to build wealth and lay a solid foundation for the future. In the last few years, many of our own have been able to buy a piece of the American dream, thanks to a booming real estate market and an increase in ...
Returned from Cuba with 5,000 medical scholarships
Sep 05, 2007; ... To Tell The Truth I am a proud American who clearly understands that this nation is the richest and most powerful the world has ever known and it has great potential, but it still has a number of imperfections. One of those imperfections is illustrated by the 40-year blockade of ...
Note to Michael Vick: Don't lose the lesson
Sep 05, 2007; ... Several years ago, when walking across Harlem's 125th Street, a quote written on a wooden fence caused me to pause and take out my pad and pen. Attributed to the Dahli Lama, it said: "When you lose, don't lose the lesson." Michael Vick lost. It's important that he and his young Black male peers ...
Wined and dined
Sep 05, 2007; ... Lifestyles Report Pittsburghers like to hang on to the past. How many of you were devastated when the Mellon Bank building at the corner of Fifth and Smithfield became the home of the now defunct Lord & Taylor? I can hear the collective "yes;" now how many of you still talk ...
Carryin' on
Sep 05, 2007; ... You could call it "Hidden Teenie," or "Forgotten Harris" but the Andy Warhol Museum calls it "Carryin' On." A three-part exhibition featuring the work of the late Charles "Teenie" Harris exploring gender identity and exploration during the era of family values, the 1930s and '40s. No one ...
Jazz explosion
Sep 05, 2007; ... In a city known for great jazz, a fundraiser featuring jazz wouldn't be that unusual. But the event chairs at Sojourner House took the event to another level Aug. 16 with a "jazz explosion" at the LeMont Restaurant on Mt. Washington. Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception, a scrumptious ...
State of the Baptist Church: The rise of the non-denominational church
Sep 05, 2007; ... (Part two of a three-part series.) State of the Baptist Church: DETROIT-(Real Times News Service)-Nearly every Baptist pastor interviewed for this series admitted that membership numbers among young people have been slipping. This is due in part to worship styles, time, ...
rejoin the family table
Sep 05, 2007; ... Remember that picturesque Norman Rockwell portrait of a family sitting and enjoying a hot meal together? It's all but a distant memory now. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the typical American family spends over $2,000 a year on dinners in restaurants with 10 percent of ...
Star Jones' weight loss surgery-a good idea?
Sep 05, 2007; ... COLUMBUS, Ohio (BlackNews.com)-You've heard about it in the media: Weight loss surgery is sweeping the nation by leaps and bounds. Due to widespread coverage of her rapid weight loss through surgery, Star Jones has become the poster child within the Black community and abroad for this option for ...
Music and words merge to aid awareness
Sep 05, 2007; ... The City of Asylum-Pittsburgh presents a free jazz-poetry concert featuring Oliver Lake and the World Saxophone Quartet and a slew of wordsmiths from across the globe in a Sept. 8 presentation on Sampsonia Way near the Mattress Factory on the North Side. "Writers in the Gardens" is a ...
Fall arts preview-part 1
Sep 05, 2007; ... Performing arts Opening day is looming and this season is packed with familiar favorites, premieres and new additions; and we aren't talking? football (that's another section). The Pittsburgh 2007-2008 arts offerings run the gamut with something for everyone in practically every genre ....
'Nothing but Trouble' is nothing but inspiring
Sep 05, 2007; ... 'Nothing but Trouble' is nothing but inspiring Cover To Cover As a kid, you probably know how easy it is to get into trouble. You know what happens. A thought, a place, an action all seemed like a good idea at the time. You go ahead and do what you're gonna do and before ...
Getting the job you want
Sep 05, 2007; ... INDIANAPOLIS (NNPA)-To some, interviewing for a job may seem like a no-brainer. Then there are the others. When interviewers have seen women come to the interview with rollers in their hair, interviewees using bad language and a resume that's too general, there comes a time for an ...
You don't have to have a fortune to start building one
Sep 05, 2007; ... The Carr Report Given the fact that we're on the brink of a new football season, I thought it would be fitting to discuss two of my favorite subjects-football and money. In 2006,_our very own Pittsburgh Steelers were crowned world champions. Their triumph from wildcard playoff ...
Generett to guide hi-tech businesses to the Hill
Sep 05, 2007; ... The offices for the newly established Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone are appropriately located in One Hope Square; and once open and operational, executive director William O. Generett Jr. hopes to realize a goal of bringing hi-tech businesses to the Hill District and other core ...
Personal Finance: Early savings reap long-term payoff
Sep 05, 2007; ... I lived paycheck to paycheck during my early 20s. Saving didn't seem feasible, there were just too many expenses. And, like many, during my early workforce years I neglected to have a portion of my payeheck automatically put into a retirement account. It's ironic that when youVe young ...
Pittsburghers Speak Out: What s your reaction to the snitch list being circulated in the community?
Sep 05, 2007; ... Recently inmates at the Allegheny County Jail posted a "Cheese Eaters List" on the Internet, containing the names of some in Pittsburgh's Black community they contend are "rats." This snitch list has been printed and is circulating in city neighborhoods. The New Pittsburgh Courier asked readers ...
Homestead native earns national award at NABJ convention
Sep 05, 2007; ... Growing up in Homestead, Keith Alexander always wanted to be a news reporter. During his senior year at Steel Valley, he was the front-page editor of the high school newspaper. Now a social issues and crime reporter for The Washington Post, Alexander not only writes from one of the most ...
Garbage man KO's way to World Toughman Championship
Sep 05, 2007; ... by Smokin' Jim Frazier For New Pittsburgh Courier Pittsburgh is rivaling the rest of the country as the hot spot for city championship supremacy. Former Toledo, Ohio Valley, Steubenville, Wheeling Toughman champion and Pittsburgh native Lee McGinnis (14-1), is the ...
Fear of success
Sep 05, 2007; ... Extra Innings It was Labor Day. I decided to sneak over to the ballpark to use their wireless stats system and work off the two slabs of ribs I had "tasted" during the course of grilling the holiday flesh for the family. I was about a half a block away from PNC Park when I heard sirens ...
Delirious
Sep 05, 2007; ... Inside Conditions "This is going to be one of those years where each week will take on a life of its own. We're going to have to do what we have to do in any phase to try and win that game and that means playing whoever we have to play and that's the type of year it will ...
Philly paper demotes Stephen A. Smith
Sep 05, 2007; ... PHILADELPHIA (NNPA)-Questions are growing surrounding the demotion of one of this city's most-read sports columnists, Stephen A. Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Why is he being stripped of his column? What are the details of the union clause that could protect him? Why are the voices ...
Hill ministers: 'The community is not divided'
Sep 12, 2007; ... Even though there are two distinct entities negotiating with the city, county and Pittsburgh Penguins, Rev. Dr. Johnnie Monroe said they are both working for the same thing-the betterment of the Hill District. "The community is not divided," he said during a Sept. 5 press conference. "We ...
Youths shown trauma of violent death
Sep 12, 2007; ... "When my time comes, I want to leave peacefully and happy. I want to he successful and active and don't want to be part of a statistic." The final line of the letter written to Darlene Craig, Allegheny County's assistant chief of investigations, exemplifies the impact she hopes a new ...
'Safe surrender' for felons a win-win for community
Sep 12, 2007; ... When law enforcement goes after fugitives with outstanding arrest warrants, the effort can result not only in the injury or death of the perpetrator, but also family members, pursuing officers and innocent bystanders. In response to such incidents, the U.S. Marshal's Office created a ...
Trueheart retires from Pittsburgh Foundation
Sep 12, 2007; ... After six years of leading the 14th largest community foundation in the country, the man who retooled and guided the Pittsburgh Foundation through unprecedented growth has announced his retirement. Dr. William E. Trueheart, who recently turned 65, (the traditional age of retirement), ...
New legacy housing draws on Hill's heyday
Sep 12, 2007; ... Though the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh's Legacy senior housing building in the Hill District allowed the developer and authority, city and state officials to thank each other for completing the project, all thanked the ...
This Week in Black History
Sep 12, 2007; ... Week of September 13-18 September 13 1663-The first documented slave rebellion in American took place. The revolt in Gloucester County, Va., involved Black slaves and white indentured servants. However, a white indentured servant betrayed the rebellion. 1885-Alain L ....
GOP official leaving authority after racial e-mail complaints
Sep 12, 2007; ... AUGUSTA, Ga.-A state Republican Party official says he's stepping down from an Augusta authority after a racially charged e-mail to two developers prompted several officials to call for his resignation. Dave Barbee, the GOP's chairman for the 10th Congressional District and a member of ...
Metro Beat
Sep 12, 2007; ... LIHEAP fraud found As residents throughout the state cope with the costs of rising energy prices, the state Auditor General has found misconduct within a program intended to help the problem. The announcement was made during the House Republican policy committee hearing Aug. 29 that the ...
Free the Jena Six
Sep 12, 2007; ... Child Watch The recent conviction of Black high school student Mychal Bell in the small rural town of Jena, La., demonstrates why the struggle for civil rights and equal justice must continue with renewed vigor. In a vindictive miscarriage of justice, LaSalle Parish District Attorney J ....
Conservative challenges
Sep 12, 2007; ... The Way I See It How do conservatives break the Democratic hold on the Black vote? It is a question I am asked all the time. My answer-my best guess-is always the same and it is twofold: First conservatives in the form of the Republican Party must be more actively present in the Black ...
Low wage jobs deprive Black families
Sep 12, 2007; ... Commentary More than 9 million American families are considered low-wage families or working poor. These families, more often than not, look like a typical American family-the majority have two parents living at home, they are U.S. citizens with at least a high school diploma. They ...
Black leaders, who art thou?
Sep 12, 2007; ... To Tell The Truth Throughout the years, history has been filled with the names of Black leaders. We are generally familiar with those who are nationally and internationally known. However, in today's society when a person is referred to as a leader there is often a very negative ...
'Respondability'
Sep 12, 2007; ... Commentary Some pain is so intense, we need to invent a whole new language to describe it. So the word "respondability"-the God-given ability to respond to our most difficult life challenges with wisdom, grace and power comes to mind. Events like the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and the ...
Pastors giving new meaning to 'laying on of hands'
Sep 12, 2007; ... Commentary If Jesus Christ would show up in some of our churches, would He shed tears and walk out the door? Once upon a time, church sanctuaries were treated as hallowed ground and the ordained clergy representing God and the people of God were viewed as the best examples of ...
Effi Barry dies at 63
Sep 12, 2007; ... WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA)-Former District first lady Effi Barry died Sept. 6 from complications of leukemia at Anne Arundel Medical Center. She was 63. Barry was married to now D.C. City Councilman Marion Barry (Dem., Ward 8) during his first, second and third terms as mayor. She played a ...
Virginia governor pardons Gabriel Prosser
Sep 12, 2007; ... RICHMOND (NNPA)-He was hanged as a criminal from a Richmond scaffold for leading the area's biggest slave revolt. Now 207 years later, Gabriel Prosser has received a full pardon from Gov. Tim Kaine. "I recognize Gabriel Prosser for his courage and devotion to the fundamental ...
Playing the dozens with Rena Dixon
Sep 12, 2007; ... Lifestyles Report Playing the dozens is an occasional Q&A feature of the Norrell Lifestyle Report. On Aug. 11, I met Rena Dixon, president and founder of the Heart of Gold Foundation for Sarcoidosis at The Purple Carpet Affair, an Evening of Elegance. Dixon lost her husband ...
Junior golfers shine at Oakmont
Sep 12, 2007; ... On Aug. 25 at the site of this year's U.S. Open Golf Tournament-Oakmont Country Club-young minority golfers were the stars of the show. The members of the West Penn Minority Junior Golf Association entered the prestigious country club via a red carpet and stopped for taped interviews, just like ...
State of the Baptist Church: The contemporary movement
Sep 12, 2007; ... (Last of a three-part series) DETROIT (Real Times News Service)-Though the non-denominational church is rising in numbers, some in the Baptist faith have maintained the name yet have more in common with the non-denominational church. For these pastors, progressiveness is just an ...
Breakfast for Dinner
Sep 12, 2007; ... Enjoy It With Your Family Tonight Looking for new and enjoyable family meal ideas? Have you ever thought of serving breakfast for dinner? With evaporated milk on hand in your pantry, you can transform your family's favorite breakfasts into delicious and savory dinners. From ...
Black women walk to combat breast cancer
Sep 12, 2007; ... PORTLAND, Or. (NNPA)-Peggy Ross is living proof that mammograms can save lives. Ross, director of the office of affirmative action for the state of Oregon, was diagnosed with cancer after a mammogram screening. "I had one sister die of breast cancer," Ross told the NNPA News Service ....
Ready for the world
Sep 12, 2007; ... Pittsburgh native, rising Hollywood star a student first, then actor/athlete The next time someone asks where the smart, goal-oriented, intelligent young Black men are, refer him or her to the New Pittsburgh Courier's article on James Francis Kelly III, Pittsburgh native and rising ...
Fall arts preview part II
Sep 12, 2007; ... Literary and visual arts With so much to see and so much to hear, trying to distill Pittsburgh's fall arts offerings is an exercise in futility. There are so many options that devoting this entire page to words listing the different events, openings and readings would not be enough ...
'Guaranteed Success' is a guaranteed motivator
Sep 12, 2007; ... 'Guaranteed Success' is a guaranteed motivator "Guaranteed Success: When You Never Give Up" by Percy "Master P" Miller, c.2007, Urban Books, $16.95 / $21.95, Canada, 154 pages Cover To Cover Business is tough these days. The economy isn't where you'd like to see it. New ...
Playwright's season opener adds to 'Culture Clash'
Sep 12, 2007; ... The Pittsburgh Playwright's Theatre Co. is starting the next season with a play penned by its artistic director, Mark Clayton Southers. "For longer than anyone can remember, the old men of the Galwegian Poet Society have bickered over their favorite poets, and each year, they reward a ...
Big Mama's start-up defies odds
Sep 12, 2007; ... Many solid business ideas never become realities because aspiring entrepreneurs lack the dollars to support their dream. Brenda Franklin, owner of the family business "Big Mama's House of Soul," hopes to use her story, and her restaurant, to show others how to use their dream to bring in those ...
Should we stop tithing in order to pay down our debt?
Sep 12, 2007; ... The Carr Report Thanks for helping us put together a plan to get out of debt. We were in a serious bind. You gave us hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel. You laid out for us in black and white that we were spending approximately $3,000 per month more than what we were ...
Personal Finance: Get your kids involved in family finances
Sep 12, 2007; ... That anguished roar you hear is the sound of millions of students returning to school after summer break. As a parent, you might feel relief that teachers are taking over the reins, but hold on. School may be the best place for kids to learn the three R's, but you're probably still the best ...
Ward named president, COO of Fashion Fair Cosmetics
Sep 12, 2007; ... After an extensive national search, Anne Sempowski Ward, former assistant vice president of African-American Marketing for the Coca-Cola Co., has been appointed president and COO of Fashion Fair Cosmetics-the world's largest cosmetic and skin care company for women of color. Additionally, J ....
Pittsburghers Speak Out: What is the importance of Coach Tomlin's Steelers' win over the Browns?
Sep 12, 2007; ... With his 34-7 victory Sunday, Steelers' Coach Mike Tomlin achieved something Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher never did-he beat the Browns on his first try. The New Pittsburgh Courier asked readers for their thoughts on the importance of Tbmlin's first head coaching win. Here's what they ...
'Birth of the cruel'
Sep 12, 2007; ... Inside Conditions CLEVELAND-I was a little late getting up to the press box at Cleveland Stadium during last Sunday's contest between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As I made my way to the upper level, I heard an earsplitting outburst from the tans. I assumed it was an ...
Tigers no match for Gator Green
Sep 12, 2007; ... Gateway, US A Today's No. 10-ranked team in the country, entered the season as a favorite to reach the WPIAL title game at Heinz Field. McKeesport has been one of the WPIAL's most successful programs since the school opened in 1900. There have been many great rivalries in the WPIAL ...