Post News Group case goes to court

By Post Staff

The trial of The Post News Group vs. the city of San Francisco began last week after almost 4 years of debate and preparation.

The case involves the dumping of large cans of unused newspaper ink into the San Francisco Bay Area, before current Post publisher Paul Cobb, purchased the newspaper chain at the end of 2004.  While previous owners were found to be at fault in the case, charges were not filed until Cobb, who had no knowledge of the allegations, puchased the paper.

During interviews with local media, Cobb and members of his legal team have wondered why San Francisco District Attorney waited until he took over ownership to pursue legal matters, citing possible conflicts of interest between Harris and the family of former Post News Group owner Velda Berkley.  “There appears to be a conflict of interest in the case between Velda Berkley and the district attorney’s mother,” Cobb’s former attorney, Clinton Killian, said during an inteview with San Francisco Weekly.

For more information on the case follow the links to the stories below. [Read more]

Rev. Ward Pastors Historic Star Bethel Baptist

By David Scott

Rev Earl James Ward remembers answering two major calls to service as a Marine and a Minister. He is the new pastor at Star Bethel Baptist Church where he gave the prayer of blessings on his newest neighbor, The Vital Life Services HIV/AIDS Center which now occupies the building formerly owned by Your Black Muslim Bakery.
His church, located at 5800 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, also owns other parcels along that commercial strip.
Ward answered the call to serve his country as a Marine when he fought in the Vietnam War from 1966-1968. He said, “God saved my life so I could preach the Gospel.”
“I was in enemy fire, when I fell into a Pungee Pit, which is a deep pit with razor sharp bamboo tips at the bottom with a reputation for instant death. I thank God that my rifle jammed in the side of a bamboo stick which saved my life.  After spending 3 months in the hospital I had a new outlook on life.” [Read more]

Lee and Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich Discuss Economy and Iraq

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) and former Secretary of Labor Dr. Robert Reich sat before an audience of 250 on Saturday, September 20th and discussed the future of American and the need for crafting a more cogent and inclusive economic policy.
The discussion, held at the Oakland Museum, also centered on what role the 9th Congressional District can play in ending the occupation in Iraq and the financial crisis that has prompted Congress to consider a massive, $700 billion bailout for mortgage markets on Wall Street.
Reich said he didn’t oppose the bailout plan that was being debated in Congress, but added that it’s imperative that the federal government attach condition on the bailout package that discourages “huge, irresponsible decisions” that lie at the root of the problems on Wall Street. [Read more]

Get Wise About Your Credit Matters

Dear Credit Lady:
I hear a lot of people talking about Debt Settlement lately, what is Debt Settlement?
Simply Confused

Dear Confused
Debt Settlement is when your creditors agree to accept a lump sum payment for less than the actual balance due. In simple terms, it means your creditors agree to take less.
It is accomplished by negotiating with your creditors. The IRS as well as some creditors, refer to Debt Settlement as Debt Forgiveness, Settlement in Compromise, or a Negotiated Settlement.
Occasionally, a creditor may agree to accept a lesser amount and will allow the settlement to be paid over time, by making monthly payments. This is very rare as most of the time in order to obtain a favorable settlement, it must be paid in full and typically within 10 days of reaching an agreement.
The best settlements occur when cash is available to immediately settle the account. For this reason, most debt settlement programs are based upon your setting aside funds each month so you accrue funds and the Certified Debt Specialist has money to offer your creditors a lump sum settlement. [Read more]

Volunteers Clean and Beautify Oakland Creeks

On Saturday, approximately 1,000 volunteers participated in Oakland’s Creek to Bay Day at 23 sites throughout Oakland.  Participants in the 13th annual cleanup and beautification event removed over 1,000 pounds of trash, 300 cubic yards of green waste and just under 100 pounds of recyclables from around Oakland’s creeks and Lake Merritt.  In addition, volunteers installed 150 durable storm drain markers with the message “No Dumping – Drains to Bay/Lake”.  The largest single turnout was at Dimond Park, where well over 200 volunteers spent the morning beautifying Sausal Creek and its surroundings.

Black Male Teachers Wanted!

Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for free ? Several Black Colleges are  looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years free.  The ‘Call Me MISTER’ program is an effort! to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina ‘s lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.
The Call Me MISTER program combines the special strengths and resources of Clemson University with the individualized instructional programs offered by four historically black colleges in South Carolina:  Benedict College, Claflin University , Morris College and South Carolina State University. To provide even greater opportunity and access, students have the option of first attending one of our two-year partner colleges before transferring to one of the four-year institutions to complete their baccalaureate degree. In addition, the project has limited enrollment in the middle school Master of Art in Teaching program.  Please click on the participating schools on the menu to the left to learn more about these schools’ programs. [Read more]

Obama’s Last Ghost

 By Marvin X Jackmon

Elijah told us the white woman is the white man’s last weapon against the black man. We thought once Barack Obama overcame Hillary Clinton, he would be home free.
But up popped the white woman number two. Of course she lacks Hillary’s political chicanery but she’s still white, so never forget this. And white America went into a tizzy over her until the fall of Wall Street, then she became second page news because America cares more about its money than its mama, and no matter the fall began on Clinton’s watch, the blame game goes to Bush and the Republicans, thus Obama has another chance now that white woman number two is backstage. She may pop up again before the race is over, but for now all eyes are on the economy and the robber barons of international finance.
As former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown noted in the Sunday Chronicle, we all should have known something was wrong when a man who couldn’t qualify for a $13,000 car loan was able to qualify for a $300,000 house loan. [Read more]

Santa Fe Elementary School Holds Elaborate Open House

By Post Staff

Flags waved in front of Santa Fe last week and children and parents from the neighborhood filled the auditorium to capacity, overflowing into the hallway. A program was held in the auditorium including entertainment: a student presentation of “Shine” and introduction of teachers, staff and programs by school principal Carol Johnson.
Johnson reported that the Academic Performance Index at Santa Fe (API) is 690, 26 points growth, with a goal of 750.  Attendance is 91% - goal is 98%.  She reported that 36% of students are proficient in Math on the CST and 28% are proficient in Reading and Language Arts on the CST.  Mrs. Vonncile Harris, PTC President spoke as a parent to parents, “What’s parent participation got to do with it?”
Following the program, students and teachers went to their respective classrooms and gave individual presentations to parents and students, clarifying standards and class procedures. [Read more]

Biblical Poetry and Praise Dance at the Dancing Poetry Festival

By Natica Angilly

Young people of the First Step Ministries will present Biblical poetry and praise dance at the Dancing Poetry Festival in San Francisco, on Saturday September 27, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in the Florence Gould Theater.  Beginning at noon and continuing until 4, the festival presents eighteen diverse performance groups who have dedicated new works to the concept of poetry and dance working together in exciting  presentations.
The First Step synchronized team, directed by Rev. Rickey Rich’ard-Walker, brings children of different cultures together as a faith based community with performance outreach.  Praise dance, modern ballet, ethnic, masked and poetic dances are all energized by well known and emerging performance groups.  Poetry favorites and new works of poetry will premier in colorful pageantry.   The fifteenth annual festival is created by Artists Embassy International, a non profit outreach organization dedicated to cultural understanding for over 50 years, and Natica Angilly’s Poetic Dance Theater Company with poet Richard Angilly and dancers, dedicated for over 30 years solely to poetry and dance as a unified art form.     [Read more]

Journalist Nancy Hicks Maynard, 61, Dies

Nancy Hicks Maynard, a journalist and pioneering advocate for diversifying America’s newsrooms, died Sunday in Los Angeles of organ failure. She was 61.
A powerhouse in journalism circles, Ms. Maynard, along with her husband, Robert C. Maynard, owned and co-published the Oakland Tribune from 1983 to 1992. The paper remains the only major metropolitan daily to have ever been black-owned.
Her advocacy extended beyond the newsroom as she and her husband helped found the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in Oakland. She became its president and trained generations of reporters and editors on how to bring people of color into all ranks of the news-making process, and how to cover stories in such a way that many points of view were included. [Read more]

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