From wire reportsWASHINGTON — Republican

lawmakers insist they can strike some big deals with the White House in the coming months -- as long as President Barack Obama goes along with their ideas.

The first test of how the new Washington will operate -- whether Obama will bend to the GOP’s will, and how hard the GOP will fight each battle — could be the Keystone XL pipeline, a 1,179-mile project that Republicans love, environmentalists oppose and the State Department has gone six years without approving.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged the first measure the Republican-controlled Senate will take up this January will be one authorizing the pipeline's construction. Obama, meanwhile, has signaled he could veto it.

“It is going to be a bellwether decision by the President,” said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming in a televised interview.

Other Republicans made similar arguments.

“This will certainly be a way in which we can measure where he’s going to come down,” said Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota.

Keystone is one of the high-profile issues lawmakers have on their plate after being sworn in Tuesday.

So far, GOP lawmakers haven’t explained how they’ll soften their own positions to reach agreements with Obama, while insisting he should meet them on their terms on Keystone and more. Still, with control of both the House and Senate, they also said it’s up to them to prove the legislative process can function properly -- something they can't do without Obama’s help.

“We’ve got a lot of serious issues that need to be addressed. The bigger issues

absolutely require the president to be involved, and I think with anticipation, we look forward to that opportunity,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee.

Lawmakers debated whether to give Obama an updated authorization to use military force against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. They’ll need to extend Homeland Security funding past February.

Two of Obama’s major nominees need Senate confirmation: Ashton Carter as Defense secretary, and Loretta Lynch as attorney general.

Government funding and debt issues loom larger — with Republicans’ leverage increased now that they control the Senate.

But some top conservatives have said they’re hopeful they can strike deals on at least some major issues.

“Based on our past experience, it would be a triumph of hope over experience,” said Thune.

“But you always enter a new session of Congress with high hopes, and I know that Republicans in the Senate are looking forward to and are willing to work with the president on areas where we can create jobs and grow the economy and strengthen America’s middle class, and I hope the President will meet us there,” he said.

Many Republicans say the party has something to prove. New Sen. Thom Tillis,

R-North Carolina, said that the mark of a functional Congress is sending measures to Obama’s desk that the president actually signs into law — citing Keystone and regulatory legislation as possibilities.

But others have said it’s up to Obama to set the tone for the weeks ahead.

“He has an opportunity to actually show that he wants to work with Congress,” said incoming freshman Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah.

Another incoming freshman senator, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, said many of the debates that will start in the coming weeks

NO. 1417 Jan. 7 - 13, 2015

FREEServing Richmond and Hampton Roads since 1985

VOICENEWSPAPER.COM

FREE

Special election set for Tues.PAGE 5

Blues sensation coming to RVAPAGE 12

IRS seeks tax penaltiesPAGE 15

Teen’s death probedPAGE 18

See “The testˮ on pg. 5

Obama, U.S. Senate GOP to test new relationship

Keystone XL pipeline is one of the high-profile issues lawmakers have on their plate.

2 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICE

Attention, lovers of fiscal-cliff drama: There’s nothing to see here.

Yes, Virginia had a $2.4 billion budget sinkhole bust open just a few months back. And sure, the state teetered on the edge of a government shutdown last summer when a long standoff over Medicaid expansion held the state’s spending plan hostage.

But when the General Assembly comes back to town in mid-January, things will be different. A confluence of factors — ranging from early-bird budget fixes to a newly muted Medicaid push to the simple fact that 2015 happens to be an odd-numbered year — should add up to non-nail-biter budgeting.

Even with Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) seeking to shrink tax breaks for the coal industry and renewing his call for the expansion of Medicaid, there is little danger that partisan battles will derail the state budget in the coming year.

In fact, state services would still keep rolling along if the Virginia House and Senate, controlled by the Republican Party, walked away from the budget process entirely. Not that anybody wants that to happen.

“We certainly want to come to an agreement, because that’s what the people want us to do,” said House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial

Heights).McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said:

“I don’t think there’s anything in the governor’s budget proposal that would be cause for bipartisan cooperation to just completely break down in Virginia government.”

But still, kind of nice to think everyone could stay home and the lights would remain on in state government, right?

“If we don’t do anything this year, we’re okay with that,” one Republican insider said privately.

It’s supposed to be this way in odd-numbered years: The state operates on a two-year budget cycle and does the big work of hammering out a spending plan in the even years. The legislature and governor make adjustments to the budget in odd years to reflect changes in revenue and priorities. If they fail to come to an agreement, state government keeps operating under the original spending plan.

This year’s $2.4 billion revenue shortfall does change the picture in some ways, though.

The Virginia Constitution requires that the state balance its budget. If the legislature and governor cannot agree on how to adjust the budget in times of a shortfall, the governor must act on his own to keep the state out of the red.

Under that scenario, McAuliffe could, at least in theory, slash areas that would punish the House and Senate — say, by closing every rest stop between Richmond and Stafford, home to his legislative nemesis, House Speaker William J. Howell (R).

And so, the legislature did not even wait for the 2015 session before making adjustments. It met in September and plugged most of the hole.

In a strange way, this year’s prolonged Medicaid fight facilitated that early budget action. Lawmakers were already scheduled to return to Richmond for a special session to debate Medicaid in September, just weeks after McAuliffe announced the shortfall. The session did nothing to move the Medicaid debate. But it allowed the legislature to get a jump on budget fixes, leaving just $322 million to cut in the regular session.

That’s still more than Republicans want McAuliffe to trim on his own. But it’s a far cry from $2.4 billion.

“Being in a special session provided a rare and unique opportunity,” said Del. S. Chris Jones (R- Suffolk), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Richmond will still find things to fight over come January. McAuliffe is pushing to close some tax loopholes, increase

restaurant inspection fees and expand Medicaid. But this time around, his Medicaid push is seen as largely symbolic, with any prospective savings not even factored into the budget’s bottom line.

Some Republicans say the budget work already accomplished will make it possible to walk away from McAuliffe’s amendments entirely if he insists on the fees and tax plans they oppose.

The coming session would unfold in “a much more volatile atmosphere,” Cox said, had lawmakers not already tapped the rainy-day fund and put most of the financial mess behind them.

“The opportunity you had in September was to do most of the budget without a tax increase, without fee increases and without Medicaid expansion,” Cox said. “That opportunity was not going to be there in January.”

Coy, McAuliffe’s spokesman, said the cooperation required for the budget fixes already pulled off suggests that the governor and the GOP can find ways to work together.

“I think what they did [in September] was a good sign,” Coy said. “It isn’t about partisan advantage. It’s just about coming to a common-sense place.”

©WaPo

Despite conflicts, lawmakers’ budget wrap-up may be a snoozer

A grand opening ceremony took place at the new Huguenot High School on Monday morning as students officially

began attending classes at the first new high school to be built in the city of Richmond in 40 years. Mayor Dwight

C. Jones marked the occasion by cutting a ribbon with Huguenot High School students and by participating in an official program with RPS Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden, Huguenot High School Principal Jafar Barakat, parents, students

and elected officials.The occasion was also marked by the

launch of a time capsule project called Hugh-E – a digital time capsule designed to capture the current student lifestyle as the new school opens.

Richmond opens first new high school in 40 years

www.voicenewspaper.com Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 3

DIRECTORYSmall Business

On Top Hair & Nail Salon424 North 2nd St. Richmond

Angel Thompson(804)901-1406

Cheryl Minor(804)347-5281

FAITH MANCONSTRUCTION, LLCFALL SPECIAL

Free Estimates • Licensed & insured“Just have some faith” (Heb. 1: 1-11)

804-231-3958 (Office) • 804-908-3958 (Cell)

Roofing, siding, decks, painting, plumbing, rotten wood, flooring,

gutter and all house repairs.

FAITH MANCONSTRUCTION, LLC

We love all small jobs.Call us for light electrical work, painting, and more.

Free Estimates • Licensed & insured“Just have some faith” (Heb. 1: 1-11)

804-231-3958 (Office) • 804-908-3958 (Cell)

804-775-3130522 N. 2nd St., Richmond

jbel’s tastries Specializing in Cheesecakes, Red velvet cakes, pound cakes, carrot cakes, sweet potato pies, apple turnovers and cup cakes.

WE BUY HOUSES FOR CA$H

WWW.SELLTOANDY.COM

(800) 991-3249

We pay cash for houses in any condition!Have a hassle free fast home sale!

Visit our site for more information!

Andy Strickland LOCAL COMPANY

804.901.4305

C&S Painting

Licensed & InsuredRichmond and Tri-Cities

WE WILL BEAT ANYBODY’S CONTRACTED PRICE

Interior & Exterior Painting • Drywall Plaster • Carpentry • Roofing • Flooring

Sterling Wood Sr.

Winter Special - $15.00 per shutter - 20% off all painting . We do not combine promotions

A V O NLooking for last minute holiday purchases

Or quick cash?

CallAVON National Recruiter

Loretta Washington(757)753-8988

or shop my estorewww.youravon.com/lorettawashington

GET YOUR HOME PHONE & CABLE BACK ON

TODAY!CALL 804-322-9677

(Local Office)

The VOICE4 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015

will extend into the next presidential campaign.

“We need to demonstrate an ability to govern,” said Sasse. “But we also need to admit that the big challenges facing this country aren’tt going to be solved in the next 24 months. We need to set the stage for a 2016 presidential election.”

The roster of Republican senators who could soon launch White House bids is long. It includes Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has used every congressional spending debate as a chance to face off with Democrats over Obamacare; Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has called for less U.S. intervention overseas; and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has insisted he'll try to shut down Obama’s recent diplomatic move with Cuba.

Republicans are also set on challenging Obama’s recent moves on immigration, climate change, extending nuclear talks with Iran and more.

GOP lawmakers insist they have strong grounds to try to block Obama on those issues, while also rolling back his health care law, in whole and in part: Voters ousted Democrats from the Senate majority and extended conservatives' advantage in the House in November's midterm elections.

“We’ll be voting on things I know he’s not going to like and I hope we can put them on his desk,” McConnell said in an nterview aired Sunday.

But Washington’s dynamics have shifted

again since the election.Obama announced executive moves to

overhaul U.S. immigration policies, thaw the diplomatic freeze with Cuba, curtail environmentally harmful emissions, extend nuclear talks with Iran and more — all moves he delayed until after the elections, but that made 2014’s final weeks by far his most active.

Eager to keep his momentum from being stalled by the new Congress -- where the GOP will control both the House and the Senate for the first time in his presidency -- Obama is hitting the road.

He’s planning a three-day campaign-style swing later this week in which he’ll talk higher education in Tennessee, housing in Arizona and jobs in Michigan -- previews of themes that will appear in his State of the Union speech on Jan. 20.

That trip is likely to be followed by more, as Obama works to send Republicans the message that he won't be giving ground on his top accomplishments and priorities.

“The president is eager to get to work, and looks forward to working with the new Congress on policies that will make sure middle class Americans are sharing in the economic recovery,” said Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman.

“There are a number of issues we could make progress on, but the president is clear that he will not let this Congress undo important protections gained — particularly in areas of health care, Wall Street reform and the environment,” Schultz said.

The test from page 1

From wire reportsThe 114th Congress that convened

Tuesday counts more minorities and women than ever, although lawmakers remain overwhelmingly white and male in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. There are 100 senators and 435 seats in the House.

A record 104 women now serve in Congress, and for the first time, African-American members of both genders and representing both parties will be among the ranks on Capitol Hill.

The number of female lawmakers is up slightly from 100 at the close of the last Congress, but represents about 20 percent of the total in Congress. It’s far less than the nearly 51 percent of the U.S. population. A total of 96 racial minorities will serve in Congress, about 18 percent.

The House will have 246 Republicans and 188 Democrats. One seat is vacant following the resignation of Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., who pleaded guilty to a felony tax evasion charge.

The Senate now has 54 Republicans and 44 Democrats, plus two independents — Maine’s Angus King and Vermont’s Bernie Sanders. Both caucus with Democrats.

A total of 84 women will serve in the House, compared with 80 in the last Congress. The new lawmakers include Elise Stefanik, a 30-year-old New York Republican who is the youngest woman ever elected to the House. Also making

history is Mia Love, 38, whose election to a suburban Salt Lake City district made her the first black female Republican to win a seat in Congress.

Forty-four African-Americans will serve in the House, including Love and another black Republican freshman, Will Hurd of

New Congress includes more women & minoritiesTexas. Hurd made news last month as he was named chairman of an Information Technology subcommittee on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, an unusual distinction for a freshman.

There are 34 Hispanic lawmakers, including 10 Republicans, as well as 10 Asian-Americans and two Native Americans, both Oklahoma Republicans.

The number of women in the Senate remains at 20, following the election of Republicans Joni Ernst of Iowa and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and the defeats of Democrats Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Re-elected were Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Two African-Americans serve as senators — Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democrat Cory Booker of New Jersey. There are three Hispanic senators: Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas and Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

Fifty-eight House freshmen were sworn in on Tuesday — 43 Republicans and 15 Democrats. Three other members are new to Congress but are considered veterans of a few weeks. Reps. Dave Brat, R-Va., Donald Norcross, D-N.J., and Alma Adams, D-N.C., took the oath shortly after November’s elections to fill the seats of lawmakers who had left Congress.

The Senate will welcome 13 new members — 12 Republicans and one Democrat, Gary Peters of Michigan.

Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia

Smart selected for ESPN Coaches Charity Challenge

VCU Head Basketball Coach Shaka Smart was again selected as one of 48

NCAA basketball coaches to participate in the 5th Annual ESPN / Infiniti Coaches Charity Challenge. The Coaches Charity Challenge is an online voting contest that started Jan. 5. Fans can vote for their favorite coach once a day, to help participating coaches earn money for their chosen charity each round they advance. The overall winner gets $100,000 for their favorite organization.

Smart has selected FRIENDS Association for Children, a local non-profit agency, which has been serving children and families in the Richmond community for over 140 years.

“Maya and I visited the FRIENDS Centers and have seen firsthand the positive influence they have on the children”, said Smart. “We want to do all we can to help their work to prepare these children for success in school.”

www.voicenewspaper.com Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 5

FAMOUS BROWN TV SHOWSaturdays at 2 a.m.Mondays at 5 a.m.

CW Richmond Channel 65Comcast 214; Verizon 13

Also check out WCLM 1450 AM RadioPlaying all your soul hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s & 90s

ALL Cars

FALLSPECIAL

C.L. Belle’s

E Z Car Rental

FALL SPECIAL

3101 W. Broad Street(804) 358-3406

NO CREDIT CARD NEEDED

www.ezcarrentalsrva.com

Small - Medium - Large

95 a day29$

Unlimited MilesFree Pickup in Richmond Area

804.218.3614

Start with as little as $100

Get rid of debts that you can’t pay “Get A Fresh Start”

STOPS FORECLOSURES,REPOSSESSIONS

GARNISHMENTS AND HARASSING PHONE CALLS

Downtown Richmond at 422 East Franklin Street

Suite 301 (5th & Franklin Sts.)

Downtown Petersburgat 119 North Sycamore St.,

First Floor (off Washington St.)

24-7 talk to an attorney for free.

You Can Still File Chapter 7&13Bankruptcy

Offices in

oments emoriesM &

...advertised here.

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday in a special election some hope will bring an embarassing episode to an end for Democrats. The election will fill the 74th House District seat left vacant when Joe Morrissey resigned last month following a plea related to charges that he took indecent liberties with a minor working as an office assistant in his office.

Morrissey, a Democrat, reluctantly resigned his seat, then announced plans to run again. He is running as an independent. Opposing him is the Democratic nominee, Kevin Sullivan, who was nominated during a caucus event, and Republican candidate Matt Walton.

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus has “wholeheartedly” endorsed Sullivan.

“Mr. Morrissey’s reprehensible conduct and subsequent conviction, involving an underage African-American girl disqualifies him from serving in the General Assembly,” said state Sen. Mamie Locke who chairs the VLBC. Lockes

added that Sullivan “will stand up for our Democratic values, stand by our president and behave in the dignified, honorable way that we expect of our leaders.”

The VLBC, which had previously called on Morrissey to resign from the House of Delegates and not run for election, invoked race in its statement against Morrissey, who is white. “Serving as a Democratic member of the General Assembly means that, at a minimum, one seeks equality of opportunity and dignity for everyone,” said the VLBC statement. “This includes the basic human right to not be preyed upon, especially in the workplace. He has abused his position of authority and his continued service brings blight on an institution that has stood as an inspiration for democracies for over 400 years.”

Morrissey has his supporters who say he has well representated blacks in 74th District, which includes parts of Henrico, Charles City and Prince George counties and the cities of Richmond and Hopewell.

Special election to be held Jan. 13A group of Virginia citizens have filed

a legal challenge to the redisricting of the state House of Delegates districts. The citizens allege that a sinister motive to keep blacks packed in certain voting areas was behind the 2011 redistricting plan crafted by Republicans and involving districts 63, 69, 70, 71, 74, 75, 77, 80, 89, 90, 92, and 95.

“I believe the redistricting plan adopted by the General Assembly in 2011 was neither fair nor constitutional,” said Democratic Leader David J. Toscano (57th District). “I have not seen the specific allegations of the suit, but I welcome all efforts to overturn this unconstitutional plan.

“Constituents should choose their representatives rather than the other way around.”

Meanwhile, House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, has rejected the charge of unfairness.

“The House districts were drawn in accordance with all federal and state law, adopted with bipartisan support after more than a dozen public hearings and committee meetings and pre-approved by President Barack Obama’s Justice Department in accordance with the Voting

Rights Act,” he said. “The bipartisan plan was crafted based on publicly-stated legal criteria, and strongly and publicly supported by a majority of African-American members in the House of Delegates.

“There is a strong and clear public record supporting the bipartisan redistricting plan and I am confident it will withstand any legal challenge.”

Democrats have called Virginia’s history of racial supression into play, saying that it supresses electoral change and protects the powers that be. A federal judge will soon weigh in on the lawsuit.

Va. gerrymandering is back in court

Democratic Leader David J. Toscano

When the president of the Virginia State Conference NAACP changed the locks on the doors of then-Executive Director King Salim Khalfani, they locked the doors on black Richmond. With the Richmond NAACP and Richmond Crusade for Voters being ineffective, the last person left who would take a stand for the African American community is Delegate Joe Morrissey.

When black elected officials didn’t address certain issues or were afraid to speak out, they would always call Morrissey. Just like Mayor Marion Barry in Washington D.C. regardless of his personal issues he would always be there for the people. If we lose “Fighting Joe Morrissey”, who do we have?

When I ran for the office of president of the Richmond NAACP, John House signed my petition and got others to sign it and told me I had his support (before they got to him). Everyone who wanted to run for an office went through the interview process. When the interviews were held for everyone running, all the interviews lasted about five minutes until they got to me. My interview lasted about one hour and one delegate got out her sick bed and fought to keep me out of the seat. This is the same person I used to give free radio advertisings for her “Back to School March & Rally” and donated money for the parades she had.

The night of the Nominating Committee Report, as names were being called out for each position everything was ok until they got to my name. That’s when the unrest began. John House who plays golf with former state Senator Henry Marsh got up and nominated Dr. Kim Allen, who worked on Marsh’s election campaign. Ruben Greene nominated himself and they tried to nominate a preacher whose

name I don’t remember that never even came to the meetings and may not have been a member. This is evidence of the Democratic Party working behind the scenes to control black organizations.

I got up and said “If my running has caused this much confusion, I will withdraw my name”. Several members got up including the Richmond NAACP president, who was on the nominating committee that didn’t support me at first, and decided to throw her support behind me and they wanted me to run, so I left my name on the ballot. To make a long story short, Allen won and in my effort to support the NAACP I gave the Richmond branch a free weekly radio show to help get the NAACP up and running again.

As you know, after several months she resigned and the vice president moved up. When I ran against Henry Marsh in 2011 for the State Senate, many of the elected Democrats stayed away from WCLM Radio Station. When they saw me in public places they ignored me just because I ran against Marsh. I ran against Marsh because I looked at his record and he had not been effective for his district in the last 20 years. Many Democrats appeared to know it but were loyal to him and waiting for him to retire. He and others have stifled progress for the black community for many years. Many of our leaders knew it but were cowards and let it happen. Personally, Marsh is a nice man and did good in his day but his day has been gone for a long, long time.

It’s been rumored that Senator Marsh talked a local attorney into entering the primary when he had been working publicly with one Richmond delegate all of her career. At one point, it was alleged that he promised his seat to this delegate upon his retirement. Yet he quietly worked to ensure her defeat.

The VOICE6 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 EDITORIAL & LETTERS

Jack J. GreenFounder

1943-2014

205 E. Clay St.Richmond, Va. 23219

804-644-9060 • 757-244-5654804-644-5617 (fax)

www.voicenewspaper.com

Marlene JonesExecutive Manager

AJ SimonEditor

aj.simon@voicenewspaper.com

Constance W. Ramirez-GonzalezGeneral Sales & Marketing Manager

constanceramirezgonzalez@voicenewspaper.com

Tina Riddick-HarrisOffice Manager

tinaharris@voicenewspaper.com

Hakeen RossDistribution Manager

Kamau IslamCalvin BrothersDistribution Team

distribution@voicenewspaper.com

Staff © 2014Published by The Southside Voice, Inc.

"To seek out the truth and report it without FEAR or FAVOR"

The VOICE is copyrighted. Any use or reproduction, in part or in whole, without the

written consent of the publisher is strictly forbidden. Opinions expressed by The VOICE

columnists and letter writers are their own and no endorsements of their views by The VOICE

should be inferred. The VOICE assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Member: Virginia Press Association (VPA) &National Newspaper Publishers Association

Annual Subscription RatesVirginia - $30

All other states - $40Outside U.S.- $50

By Preston Brown

See “Voters must decideˮ on pg. 7

Let the people decide

Featured correspondent: About black-on-black crime

While I wrote this in New Jersey I believe it applies everywhere.It’s time to stop preaching to the choir when it comes to black-on-black crime.My wife I had the privilege to attend a prayer service for black men gunned down by

police on Dec. 29. There were many clergy and some elected officials from Roselle, Elizabeth, Hillside, and Plainfield at this service. At that prayer service in Roselle NJ put together by the Rev. David Ford at the St. Matthew Baptist Church, I heard many great speakers discuss issues in the African American community.

Because it was an open and honest dialogue black-on-black crime was mentioned, and our responsibility to address and deal with it were discussed. Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley gave a great speech about the need for parents to step up instill values in their kids and to value education. Myrtle Counts the head of the Roselle NAACP gave an impassioned speech about that yes black lives matter but that they must also value to us as African Americans. Rev. Ford mentioned not wanting to live in a world without police but wanting to have good and respectful police. I heard councilwoman Tracey Brown of Plainfield lament the fact that she had done over a hundred eulogy in 2014 and most of those were young people.

As I looked around I saw the nodded heads and heard the Amens and shouts of yes. But I also noticed something else as I looked around, as great as the speakers were the message they were delivering didn’t need to be given to the 50 or so people in the church. They were preaching to the choir.

What good is a great and possibly life-saving message if the people that need to hear it don’t hear it?

We as elected officials, clergy, and community leaders need to take the message that yes black lives matter, but they have to matter to us too from the churches and meeting halls to the streets. Delivering that message won’t be easy but nothing worth doing ever is. I don’t pretend to have all the answers on how to do that but if we all work together, I’m sure that many do.

It’s imperative that we get out there and deliver that message. As an elected official, I’m ready to do my part and hope that others will do the same. Our children’s lives depend on it.-George Cook

P.T.

Hof

fste

ader

, Esq

.www.voicenewspaper.com Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 7

The VOICE welcomes opinions from our readers.Letters should be typewritten and include your full name, address and telephone number where

you can be reached during business hours. Send your letters to:

205 E. Clay St., Richmond, Va. 23219 or Email: letters@voicenewspaper.com

Voters must decide from page 6

Ego is not your amigoI doubt that most of us fully realize

just how much worry, doubt and fear we experience on a daily basis; it seems to me that acknowledging this default setting and finding an alternative for well-being should be among our top priorities.

Too often, we are inclined toward trying to be something that, upon closer inspection, isn’t what we actually want. Much of this can be attributed to our egos, which persistently tug at our motivations.

Women who think they have to be married and men who are afraid of revealing their true feelings are just two examples of ego-driven ideas that lead us away from personal fulfillments.

I strive for imperfection and I’m always a winner. Most people laugh when I say this because society is forever challenging us to compete and compare ourselves with others to assess our own value. Striving for imperfection is a reminder that we don’t have to drive ourselves crazy with unattainable goals.

I notice most of us have hidden rules that we carry from childhood that really don’t help us as adults. There isn’t any way to be perfect for myself or for any other person who has ever lived. To strive for something unattainable is to strive for failure. Ultimately, allowing for you to be who you are is, I find, liberating and more conducive to overall success in life.

Don’t be afraid to fail big, because it means you put the effort forth on something that you care about, even though the effort was outside of your comfort zone.

Appreciating one’s daily and weekly failures is not a means of encouraging it; rather, it’s a way of learning from failure and developing thicker skin so that you aren’t paralyzed into future inactivity due to fear of failure or the unknown.Deborah Downey

With Democrats working behind the scenes against the people’s interest, no wonder the black community is in such bad shape.

Now don’t forget Marsh and Morrissey

both went after then-Del. Rosalyn Dance for her voting with the Republicans on too many key Democratic issues.

Then Marsh resigns and Morrissey gets arrested and the the so-called victim never filed a complaint. Who is the real person behind this?

When I ran against Dance for the 16th District Senate seat, Marsh told me he [didn’t] support Dance but he couldn’t forget I ran against him. So in the end he supported and worked for Dance who spent $41,000 to win a seat that pays $18,000 a year. In case you want to know, I spent $1,600 and got over 10,000 votes.

I say all this to say if the Democrat Party is successful in getting rid of Morrissey, who do we have?

Kevin Sullivan won the Democratic nomination with 24 votes in a district of over 85,000 residents. Sullivan is a former shop steward for a local union.

Who do you think he is going to look out for first? If you look at his Facebook page, he wanted to thank his friends in the labor movement and there will always be a desk for them in his office. I don’t see Sullivan reaching out to help the African American community. They are the majority of the 74th District.

Right now Morrissey is the best choice for the 74th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. He will be more effective at the General Assembly as an Independent.

Now as far as the case is concerned everybody is howling and complaining except the so-called victim, her mother and grandmother who never filed a complaint. Think about all the folks who have pled guilty or gone to jail and were later released because they were innocent but there was enough evidence to convict... Next November we will see how things are but for January 2015, Joe is the man!

Board needs accountabilityThe Richmond Public School Board is

not accountable for their code of conduct.This issue happens all the time with the

same individual even with the last group of school board members.

This is unacceptable when you have community advocates fighting for the rights of our children, and then you have to leave a school board meeting to take out a protective order.Maria WhiteRichmond

Empty narratives?Good news, everyone! The police of

New York City are on strike. Over the past week, arrests rate have dropped by 66 percent versus annual expectations, with traffic enforcement down 94 percent. As a result, New York did not rip itself apart in a wave of disorder. People were not executed on the street. Society did not collapse.

This poses a public relations problem for policing institutions across the country. If a drastic decline of police effort in NYC didn’t result in the fantastical disorder predicted by police supporters, why keep the police around? NYPD ticketed thousands fewer traffic violations and yet the cluttered streets of New York saw no rise in accidents.

The message of this partial strike by

police should be clear: Citizens do not need the police, the police need them. They need them to rule over, to frisk, to extort, to obey, to not resist. The daily activities of these cops which have momentarily subsided by magnitudes is for their benefit, not yours.

With 66 percent fewer arrests, with police grouping together and refusing to pursue crimes without excessive backup, one would assume crime would be rampant in the streets. But where is it to be found? Where are these freelance thugs that these employed thugs say they protect us from?

If this state of affairs continues, the people of New York will be faced with a truth that has become a truism among libertarians: The law creates criminality.

Once the arrests cease, once the manufactured disorder and violence of a police state is stripped away, we realize how few criminals there really are among us. Those who do truly pose threats can be met with the collective will of the communities they terrorize.Ryan Calhoun

FAITH & RELIGION The VOICE8 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015

See “Church closingsˮ on pg. 9

BANKRUPTCYNIKKI WHITE377-9431

Call Anytime 24-7Hours: Weekdays Mondays thru Friday

Saturday and Evening Appointments AvailableOffices in convenient locations

"7" Bankruptcy or "13" Debt AdjustmentFirst fee payment

$100Tell bill collectors to "Call My Lawyer"

Law Office of White & Associates P.C.

9101 Midlothian Turnpike,Suite 800 • Richmond, VA 23235

BANKRUPTCY

BANKRUPTCY

BANKRUPTCY

*Other legal services available*

Screens - LCD ............................. $45.00Laptop - Refurbished ................ $150.00Complete Desktops System ...... $200.00iPads ......................................... $225.00

4619 W. Broad Street804-359-6943

By Jeff BrumleyBNG — The death of a church isn’t an

easy subject, particularly to those who are losing their spiritual home.

But it is something being talked about more and more as church closings are becoming an increasingly regular occurrence — some estimates are nine a day in the United States.

The trend took on a very high profile Dec. 28 when Baptist author and pastor Rick Warren gave the final sermon at Mars Hill Church, the Seattle-based megachurch that dissolved after Mark Driscoll, its lead pastor of 20 years, resigned amid church discipline and leadership issues.

In a pre-recorded video beamed to Mars Hill’s numerous campuses, Warren urged members of the dissolving church to be gracious and forgiving to Driscoll and other church leaders during their grief. He urged an avoidance of bitterness and gossip, and an embrace of forgiveness and gratitude.

Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California, said God often changes the plans for his people. Mars Hill’s demise should be looked at as a new opportunity to find and do God’s will.

But are Christians even capable of such a spiritual perspective, and feeling such positive emotions, when faced with something as demoralizing as the death of a church?

Brett Younger, an associate professor of preaching at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, told Baptist News Global it depends on the spiritual maturity of the congregation.

“But the answer is yes — you can be grateful when your church is no longer going to be,” he said.

Younger responded to a number of questions about church closings.

Given the dire predictions about church decline, do you think this kind of preaching is something that should be taught in seminaries — or is it already being taught?

I hope we’re giving students skills that will help them in all kinds of different situations, but I have never heard of a class on what is your last sermon going to be. ... Local churches that cease to be have been the routine throughout church

history. None of St. Paul’s churches still meet on Sunday morning. Any sense that our churches were permanent was a misunderstanding of the church of Jesus Christ.

What skills would prepare future ministers for that?

The mistake is thinking that the minister’s job is to make the institution stronger .... The minister’s job is to make the institution more Christ-like, and that does not always mean you will be successful [sustaining the institution] .... The fact that we preach sermons for churches that will no longer exist is a reminder that our hope is no longer in the local church, but that it’s bigger than that and more eternal.

What scripture passage, if any, illustrates this situation?

1 Chronicles 16, where David says “remember the wonderful works God has done.” That is a farewell to a church, or it can be. The three points for any closing sermon are “remember, be grateful and imagine.”

Since a church closing is often a time of mourning, should these sermons take on a funeral tone?

I think there are times when the demographics are so against a church that

Finding the Christian response in the death of a congregation

Screengrab showing Pastor Rick Warren delivering the final message to Mars Hill.

BGN — Most people make resolutions and end up breaking them quickly. Whether kept or not, the habit of New Year’s resolutions in the U.S. culture speaks to humanity’s desire for new beginnings. Here are New Year’s resolutions for every small church:Obedience over activity

Like many churches, small churches face great temptation to pad the calendar with activities for the sake of “doing ministry,” “giving people opportunities,” and perhaps worst of all —“filling out the calendar.” What if in 2015, the need to busy ourselves gives way to listening to promptings of God’s “still, small voice?”

The prophet Ezekiel’s final vision of a restored temple, a restored priesthood, and a restored Israel came at the beginning of a new year (Ezek. 40:1). A vision from the Lord is rarely a regularly calendared event.

In 2015, don’t become so busy with business as usual that you don’t have room for a fresh vision from God. Obedience over activity is not about doing nothing. Rather, it’s a call to do what God is calling us to and not what makes us comfortable.Contentment over worry

Many small churches focus on survival, and understandably so. One clergy couple in an online forum recently shared about taking a huge pay cut, nearly their entire salary, in order to stay at a church in

an area impaired by poverty. Instead of being gripped by fear, the couple is working to find contentment, even though they both work jobs outside of church to pay the bills.

Be inspired by their commitment to God’s call on their lives. Embrace contentment over worry, and you might find incredible freedom to live into God’s unique calling. Risk-taking over playing-it-safe

Like obedience, contentment is not the same as inaction. If you find contentment in your unique calling, embracing the unique mission field God has given, and if you are obedient to God’s call, then you will likely take bold and exciting risks in ministry.

What if, in being closer to creation and the earth than many of larger counterparts, small churches began bold new initiatives in creation care, living out God’s call to stewardship of the earth?Prayer over everything

Finally, you should cover your ministry efforts in prayer. Obedience to God, finding contentment, and taking bold missional risks will certainly not come without a sincere commitment to prayer.

Too often when churches want to see new life in congregations they turn to the latest poll, the hottest new program from a best-selling book to say what you’re doing wrong. Refrain from chasing after everything but God.

Resolutions for every small church

www.voicenewspaper.com Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 9

Church closings from page 8Keeping the Faith

Ronnie McBrayer

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, pastor, and author. His newest book is “The Gospel According to Waffle House.” You can read more by visiting www.ronniemcbrayer.me.

The Good News Package

If you represent a church or a non-profit organization, you can take advantage of our special “Good News” advertising package. We understand that marketing can be a costly challenge and we want to make it easy for you to spread good news.

For one low price, you get a full page ad in The VOICE, a full page for information on your church or organization and a digital ad on www.voicenewspaper.com to help you reach over 60,000 people a week. This is a $2,270 value, and includes complimentary ad design.

So send us information on your concerts, fundraisers, church anniversary, pastor's anniversary, men's day events, women's day events and we'll help you spread the good news to the Richmond and Hampton Road area communities.

Contact details: The VOICE Office - 804-644-9060/757-244-5654 or ads@voicenewspaper.comConstance Ramirez-Gonzalez - 804-247-9060 or constanceramirezgonzalez@voicenewspaper.com

Visit us at profinishexteriors.comClass A Contractor

“We will beat your lowest reasonable written estimate”

Licensed &Insured

35851-01

Additions,Garages, Roofing,

Fences, Vinyl Siding,Decks, Painting

804-357-6813

No fixing a foolZen Buddhists

use a descriptive phrase that we who are Christian should adopt as our own. The phrase is “Idiot’s Compassion.” It was first used by Chogyam Trungpa, a provocative and controversial Tibetan who helped bring Buddhism to the West in the 1970s. According to Trungpa, “Idiot’s Compassion” is this intense desire to help someone who is in need, but this benevolent desire blinds the do-gooder from seeing reality.

The classic example of such behavior is the relationship between the addict and the enabler. Suppose an alcoholic friend comes to you in much suffering. Her body is racked by convulsions and tremors. She is financially used up. She is tormented by her disease. She begs you for a drink. You are persuaded to offer her a drink - just one drink - to alleviate her immediate pain. You do this, in your own mind, out of mercy. Yet, this act is far from merciful.

In providing the addict another drink, another high, or another hit, you have actually given her more of the poison that will ultimately take her life. This is not mercy. It is foolish cruelty. It is “Idiot’s Compassion.” The Hebrew sages had a word for one who could not be helped. They called such a person a “fool.”

There was a time when a fool was merely an entertainer. Fools were common in the palaces of kings and queens, court jesters who made the monarchy laugh. It was not the most secure job, as the fool could easily be beheaded or disemboweled for a bad joke. Thus, a fool was someone who not only had the job of being laughed at, but over time became anyone idiotic enough to even take such a job.

As the word and its use have evolved over time, a fool is someone who simply “lacks good judgment.” Maybe it is immaturity. Maybe it is ignorance. Maybe

it is inexperience or a lack of education. It’s a person not capable of making good choices. The book of Proverbs goes further. In that ancient book of Hebrew wisdom, a fool is described a hundred or so times. The word means “fat,” “heavy,” or “thick.”

It is someone who is immovable, stuck, unyielding, and stubborn. It is the person who refuses to “get it,” who refuses to learn, and refuses to accept correction or critique. This person cannot be taught - not by people and not by his or her circumstances. In the words of Hebrew scholar William Wilson, “The fool has a weak mind but confident expectations,” so it’s damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, and nothing you say or do will make a bit of difference with such a person.

If you don’t believe me, go into business with a fool, marry a fool, move in with a fool, work for a fool, hire a fool, and you will discover it to be one of the most maddening experiences of your life. The better part of wisdom is to keep some distance, for a fool is as dangerous and toxic as poison, and will suck you into a never-ending death dance.

Now, I know this can be hard wisdom to accept, especially for those of us who are engineered to “help” others. We want to solve their problems, be a listening friend, or offer a little support while they are down on their luck. In most cases, this is gracious and appropriate intervention, but when it comes to the fool, there is no fixing them. You might as well try to rescue a drowning man who is still fighting the water. Both the savior and saved will drown in the struggle.

No, I’m not advocating a lack of compassion for those who need some help along life’s way. I’m only calling attention to the fact that, in the words of the old Greek proverb, “Talking sense to a fool only makes you foolish.” For once you are tangled up with one who refuses to learn or listen, he has a way of making you look and behave like an idiot as well.

the job of the minister is hospice — it’s to care for them through this difficult time and to help them recognize that the end of their life is not the whole of their life. There are ministers for whom the pastoral care becomes the center of their ministry. But even in those situations, they need to keep pointing to a bigger hope, a more eternal hope — a future that’s bigger than Mount Pisgah No. 3.

In his sermon, Rick Warren urged the members of Mars Hill to envision a new calling. Is that kind of clarity possible during a time of such loss?

One of the lessons of Mars Hill may be that they were too dependent on a charismatic leader and not dependent enough on faith in Christ. They are going

to have trouble being faithful because they haven’t been through the seasons a normal church goes through. They had phenomenal growth and rapid decline. Most churches live together longer than that .... In some ways, Mars Hill is not your model. What people need help with is how do you help the church that’s filled with senior citizens who can’t pay their bills and they have to say goodbye to their friends? That’s a different situation.

Can you think of examples where churches went out on a positive note like that?

There are churches that have chosen at the end to be true to who they are. They sell their property and give it to something they believe in, and then go join another church and make it stronger.

By Freddie AllenWASHINGTON (NNPA) – In an effort

to develop the next generation of global leaders, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, joined, Perfect World, the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) and domestic groups focused on building ties between the United States and China to embark on a new student exchange program.

The Zhi-Xing China – Perfect World U.S.-China Young Leaders Fellowship program will offer students and mid-career professionals the opportunity to travel across China, strengthening business and personal networks, and sharing inspirational cross-cultural experiences with their Chinese peers.

Perfect World, an online gaming company, will assist in funding the fellowship initiative, which is open to all educational disciplines and industries, through 2025.

The VOICE10 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 EDUCATION & OUTREACH

See “China exchangeˮ on pg. 21

The Library of Congress will award the 2014 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry to Patricia Smith for her 2012 book “Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah.”

Smith will receive the award and read selections from her work on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. The reading is free and open to the public.

The 2014 prize—the 13th to be given—is awarded for the most distinguished book of poetry published in the preceding two years, 2012 and 2013.

The book has received the Academy of American Poets 2013 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize as the most outstanding book of poetry published in the United States in 2012, and was a finalist for both the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and the Balcones Prize. In a review, Publisher’s Weekly said the book focuses on “the stinging memories of growing up black and a woman during the 1960s,” and that “Smith’s mastery of rhyme, rhythm and

form, […] runs like an electric current throughout the collection.”

Smith is the author of six poetry collections, including “Blood Dazzler” (Coffee House Press, 2008), a finalist for the National Book Award, and “Teahouse of the Almighty” (Coffee House Press, 2006) a National Poetry Series selection. She also edited the crime fiction anthology “Staten Island Noir” (Akashic Books, 2012) and co-wrote a children’s book with

author Aaron Boyd, “Janna and the Kings” (Lee & Low Books, 2003).

Smith’s other honors include the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in Poetry, the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize, multiple Pushcart prizes, and the Rattle Poetry Prize. Smith was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent and is the recipient of fellowships from both the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. A four-time National Poetry Slam individual champion, she is the most successful slammer in the competition’s history.

Smith was born in Chicago in 1955, and lives in Howell, N.J. with her husband, the Edgar Award-winning author Bruce DeSilva.

The Bobbitt Prize, a biennial $10,000 award, recognizes a book of poetry written by an American and published during the preceding two years, or the lifetime achievement of an American poet. The prize is donated by the family of Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt of Austin, Texas, in her memory, and awarded at the Library of Congress. Bobbitt was President Lyndon B. Johnson’s sister. While a graduate student in Washington, D.C., during the 1930s, Rebekah Johnson met college student O.P. Bobbitt when they both worked in the cataloging department of the

Library of Congress. They married and returned to Texas.

Past winners of the Bobbitt Prize:• 2012 Gerald Stern for “Early Collected Poems: 1965–1992”• 2010 Lucia Perillo for “Inseminating the Elephant”• 2008 Charles Wright for Lifetime Achievement Bob Hicok for “This Clumsy Living”• 2006 W.S. Merwin for “Present Company”• 2004 B.H. Fairchild for “Early Occult Memory Systems of the Lower Midwest”• 2002 Alice Fulton for “Felt”• 2000 David Ferry for “Of No Country I Know: New and Selected Poems” • 1998 Frank Bidart for “Desire”• 1996 Kenneth Koch for “One Train”• 1994 A.R. Ammons for “Garbage”• 1992 Louise Glück for “Ararat”Mark Strand for “The Continuous Life”• 1990 James Merrill for “The Inner Room”

The Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress fosters and enhances the public’s appreciation of literature. The center administers the endowed chair, U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry; coordinates an annual season of readings, performances, lectures and symposia; and sponsors prizes and fellowships for literary writers.

Library of Congress to award Patricia Smith the Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry

Patricia Smith

Groups launch China-HBCU exchange program

Johnny Taylor (left) with Project Pengyou participants who advocate for American diversity in China: “You get students who haven’t left their zip code. It’s invigorating to provide the ‘impossible’ experience for someone and change their life…” FILE PHOTO/September 2014

www.voicenewspaper.com Jan. 7 - 13, 2015, • 11

“I am eternally grateful for the knowledge I received.”We are now accepting applications for the Spring 2O15 Workshop at Macy’s!

We invite all minority and women-owned businesses to apply for The Workshop at Macy’s! You’ll gain insight from seasoned Macy’s pros and Macy’s partners, and get the tools you need to

succeed and sustain growth in the retail industry.

Apply today at macysinc.com/workshop

PicTured: Mateo Bijoux, Mateo Bijoux Jewelry. Past participant of The Workshop at Macy’s.

50645_N4120158S.indd 1 12/31/14 1:10 PM

12 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICEARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Ask AlmaAsk Alma ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

***** Want advice? E-mail questions to alwaysaskalma@yahoo.com. Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma *****

Dating my fraternity brother’s ex-girlDear Alma,

My fraternity brother is getting married. We graduated over 15 years ago and so much has happened since then.

We’re all successful and living the lives we dreamed of. This is his second marriage and we’re all very happy for him.

Many of us stay in touch and recently out of that constant connection, his ex-college girlfriend and I have become more than just friends. We haven’t told anyone yet. I’ve never been married and she’s soon to be divorced.

We thought maybe we could go to his wedding together and that way everyone would find out at the same time. Since we can’t ask any of our friends, I thought it would be a good idea to ask what do you think?DeAngelo M.Arlington, Va.

DeAngelo,I appreciate you taking the time to email

me. Blessings to your fraternity brother on his upcoming nuptials and I hope you all have a blast celebrating.

Now that I’ve salsa danced through the niceties, brace yourself, here comes the twirl – No, I don’t think you two should show up to show out. You know as well as I do, there’s a place and time for

everything. This isn’t the place. I know you’re all excited about being each other’s new ‘boo’, but this moment belongs to them, him and his new bride.

The two of you would be the rumor at the reception and ‘ain’t’ nobody got time for that.

Hold out a little while longer and attend separately. If your relationship continues to proceed on a positive note, you two will be able to post some pictures on Facebook, after the wedding, like everyone else. Pause for the cause, and prayerfully what goes around will come around.

The fact that you two elect to exercise some patience, hopefully will produce a gleeful groomsman and ex-boyfriend, who’ll be happy for you both.

Jarekus Singleton, touring in support of his debut album, “Refuse to Lose”, will perform at Capital Ale House in Richmond on Friday, Jan. 16. Singleton melds hip-hop wordplay, rock energy and R&B grooves with contemporary and traditional blues, turning audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his untamed guitar licks and strong, soulful voice effortlessly moving from ferocious and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a fresh, electrifying bluesman with a bold vision for the future of the blues.

“Jarekus Singleton is an exciting new young blues guitarist with melody, hooks, swagger and a strong, original voice. His lyrics are modern, personal, acutely poetic and deeply mature,” said one reviewer.

Springing from the same Mississippi soil as Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, the 30-year-old Singleton’s cutting-edge sound - equally rooted in rap, rock and blues traditions - is all his own. His debut album features what reviewers call a “scintillating” guitar attack and “lyrically startling” original songs all sung with a natural storyteller’s voice. Produced by Singleton along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer and recorded at PM Music in Memphis, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step onto the world stage.

With songs telling real life, streetwise (sometimes funny) stories brimming with surprising images, pop culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical twists, the album, available for preview to the media, unleashes a new wave of blues for a new generation of fans.

Singleton has been tearing up clubs and festivals across the South, and performed twice at the world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival. He has been featured at South Carolina’s Lowcountry Blues Festival and Festival of Discovery as well as many other festivals in the South and clubs throughout Mississippi. With the addition of high-visibility performances including Springing The Blues Festival, Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The PA Blues Festival, The Cincinnati Blues Festival, and the Festival International du Blues de Tremblant, Singleton is on the cusp of international stardom.

Born into a family of church musicians

and vocalists in Clinton, Mississippi, Singleton was immersed in gospel music as a child. Taught by his uncle, Singleton began playing bass guitar at age nine in his grandfather’s church band. He later switched to lead guitar and began to sharpen his instrumental and vocal skills, falling in love with the music of all three Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddie) as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan, rappers Twista and Jay-Z, and even country artist Brad Paisley.

In his late teens, Singleton pursued a career in basketball, becoming a top-seeded national player in college until an injury took him back to his music full time. For a short period he performed as a rap artist, writing his own lyrics. Before long though, he began combining his rap wordsmithing with the music of his Mississippi heritage, creating a thoroughly modern, masterfully updated take on the blues.

In 2009, he formed The Jarekus Singleton Blues Band, quickly building a reputation as a tremendously gifted musician and performer. Jarekus self-released his first CD, Heartfelt, in 2011, and fans and media quickly took notice of these brand new original songs. Singleton was named a “star on the rise” by Blues & Rhythm magazine in the UK. Guitar Center named him the 2011 King of the Blues in Mississippi. He received the Jackson Music Award for 2012 Blues Artist of the Year and for 2013 Local Entertainer of the Year. The Jackson Free Press named him the 2013 Best Local Blues Artist.

Living Blues praised Singleton for his “emotional intensity” saying he “blends styles and elements across genres and generations.” Audiences at his shows run the gamut from older blues fans to younger rockers and rap aficionados, all of whom call him their own.

“Blues is honest music,” said Singleton, who, with “Refuse to Lose”, is determined to put his own stamp on the genre. “I love the blues tradition, and have always been inspired by the masters. But I want to create something for today’s audience that is as original and new as those blues masters were when they first started making records. I want to create blues for the 21st century.”

Blues sensation Jarekus Singleton to perform in RVA

Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 13www.voicenewspaper.com

“Urban” dance studio opens in Richmond

A new “urban” dance studio opened its doors in Richmond this week. Partnering with Robinson Theater Community Arts Center, Richmond Urban Dance held its grand opening on Jan. 5, bring to fruition the 20-year dream of a lifelong dancer to open an urban dance studio.

The studio will be led by Richmond Urban Dance’s founder, Mandy Helmlinger, who brings 35 years of dance training and work experience to the company.

Helmlinger notes that she has studied classical dance since the age of four, but has always had a passion for “street-style” dance and reaching the inner city.

“I want to see our city thriving, and I want to be part of it,” said Helmlinger. “Growing up on a limited budget in a large family, I know the feeling of having to work hard for opportunities. I want to help those with a dream reach that dream.

“Richmond is a cool city. I envision a place right in the heart of downtown, with music thumping and people congregating to catch a glimpse of the excitement. The talent is there just waiting for the opportunity to be presented. I want to provide that opportunity.”

Helmlinger said that the Richmond Urban Dance is committed to making a difference not only in the lives of its faculty and dancers, but also in the lives of its audiences. Through the mission-driven studio, Helmlinger wants to make sure “the beat of the street is the heard of their dance”. She aims for the studio to inspire and equip, as well as entertain. Focusing only on street-style dance, Helmlinger believes opportunities should be created, not waited upon.

“We don’t just teach movement, we are a movement,” she said, adding that discipline and talent go hand-in-hand. That discipline then spills into every other facet of life. For more information on the studio, visit www.richmondurbandance.com

Actress and gospel singer Tamela Mann has been having a great time lately. With an award-winning song in 2013, “Take Me To The King” off an award-winning album. Her show “Meet the Manns” just got green-lighted to begin airing in 2015 with her husband of 26 years, David Mann on BET. And she’s managed to continually keep the weight off. It’s reported that it was over 240lbs she lost.

“The first thing people say is, ‘Y’all look good! Y’all don’t look like you do on TV,’” said Tamela.

“People see us every day [on TV]. They saw that we were big, and they saw the drastic weight loss in both of us,” David chimes in. “Everybody would ask, ‘Why are you doing it? What are you doing it for?’

“For many African American families, a lot of the time when we sit down to dinner, we can have two or three starches in one meal,” Tamela adds. “You can still have some, but you don’t have to have as many.” Instead of bread and potatoes, for example, David chooses one or the other. Sticking to an eating plan can be tough, so David has asked Tamela to be his “sugar manager since he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2013.” If David strays too far from his plan (she notes he has a weakness for sugary breakfast cereals), she gently reminds him.

Another key to Tamela leading a healthy life is resisting temptation. The Manns’ five children are all grown now, but when they lived at home, they protested when their parents threw out the junk food in

Tamela Mann keeping the weight off, husband follows examplethe house. “For me, it was just a matter of life and health. I thought everybody was supposed to [change with me]. I thought they loved me!” David said with a laugh. “But we’ve tried to cut the junk.” He says that now all the Mann children (and the couple’s eight grandchildren) are working on eating healthfully, too.

And they didn’t just stop with the food, Tamela and David both focused on their drink intake as well.

When the Manns get off track from time to time—as everyone does on the quest for health—their first step is to look at what they drink. “You don’t realize that we drink a lot of our sugar: in our sodas, our sugary juices,” David said. “I just tell people: Cut back off the juice and sodas.”

And it’s not just David and Tamela watching liquids with excess sugary calories. Their children and grandchildren are curbing their intake, too. “The moms dilute the juices [with water],” Tamela says. “If they have lemonade, we put a lot of ice in it, to help cut back.”

The couple also exercises regularly to help the pounds stay off. It’s a husband and wife effort.

14 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICEHEALTH NOTES

By Karen WeintraubThe flu is now so widespread across

the USA that its officially considered an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s too soon to tell how particularly bad it will be, said Michael Jhung, a medical officer with the CDC’s influenza division.

What is clear is that the most common strain of flu this season, H3N2, is not a good match for the strains covered by the current vaccine, although the vaccine should still provide some protection, Jhung said.

There are large numbers of people sick with the flu across 36 states, and the disease has been responsible for the deaths of at least 15 children so far this season, most in Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida and California.

Walgreens, which tracks prescriptions

for antiviral medications, reports that the top areas for flu this week are Paducah, Ky.; Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Harrisburg, Ill.; Dallas-Fort Worth; Austin; Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn.; the Tri-Cities region of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol in Tennessee and Virginia; Columbia, S.C.; Oklahoma City.; and Rockford, Ill.

Major drug chains have reported some spotty outages of antivirals, including Tamiflu, although manufacturers have assured the CDC that they have produced enough supply to handle a heavy flu season. Pharmacists can turn Tamiflu pills into liquid form if liquid supplies run short, said Mike DeAngelis, director of public relations for the CVS/pharmacy chain.

Such antivirals can significantly reduce the flu’s severity when taken soon after

symptoms begin, ideally within the first 24 hours, Jhung said. That is particularly important, he says, for those most at risk for severe cases, including older people, children under five and people with health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma or obesity, or who have weakened immune systems.

“If you’re in one of those risk groups,” and you get a fever, or get a little bit of a sore throat, Jhung said, “don’t wait until tomorrow. Call your doctor and say, ‘What can I do?’”

Most doctors are aware of the benefits of starting antivirals quickly, he said, and can write a prescription even before receiving test results.

Antivirals don’t carry the same concern about overuse as antibiotics do, Jhung said. Widespread resistance to drugs like

Tamiflu and Relenza is not a worry, he said, although individuals can become resistant if they take an antiviral for long periods.

More people seem to be getting the message that vaccination helps limit the spread of flu.

In November, CVS reported that flu vaccinations were up about 8 percent over the same period last year, DeAngelis said. Walgreens administered seven million flu shots through Nov. 31 compared with 6.1 million at the same time last year, said spokeswoman Markeisha Marshall.

Although this year’s flu season started a few weeks earlier than usual, Jhung said he doesn’t expect it to peak until early to mid-February. That’s why there’s still time to get vaccinated, he said. The vaccine generally takes two weeks to reach full effectiveness.

Flu outbreak is now an epidemic; how bad will it be?

The military’s lead health agency is working with private companies to help one installation’s occupants live healthier and better lives, a goal hoped to be replicated elsewhere. The Fort Meade Alliance in Hanover, Maryland, has been a lifeline for the families and service members who live on the base, holding toy drives for children, supplying snacks to wounded warriors and consulting on a 24-hour fitness center. Officials with the Defense Health Agency (DHA) hope it serves as an example for more military communities.

“Our service members and their families are part of their local community, and we have to work together to ensure that we are offering them the tools they need to make healthy living the easy choice and the social norm,” said Public Health Service Capt. Kimberly Elenberg, program manager for the DHA’s population health program. “The Fort Meade Alliance is a great example of how the private sector and the military can partner to promote a healthy and fit force which is essential to national security.”

The alliance is a private organization made up of more than 250 local businesses that work directly with Fort Meade to support the needs of the installation.

The companies range from small IT and communications firms to well-known law firms, insurance companies and banks.

“This partnership is mutually beneficial,” said Jay Baldwin, former president of the alliance and TD Bank Vice President, pointing out the post did not come asking for support; his group sought out the post. “We started small with just little projects like providing snacks for the wounded warriors and worked with the installation to get a feel for what their needs were. This partnership is unique and doesn’t happen everywhere.”

The alliance has played an important role in implementing the Healthy Base Initiative (HBI) at Fort Meade. The HBI is a demonstration project launched by the Military Health System in 2013 at 14 sites to encourage a healthy and fit alternative to the trend toward obesity and tobacco use.

In December, the alliance celebrated its 2014 accomplishments during its annual President’s Reception event. Some of the highlights included the beginning phase of a $2.2 million dollar resiliency center, participating on the Garrison’s Community Health Promotion Council, and partnering with post leadership to promote wellness programs and the HBI.

“As part of the HBI, we were able to establish a farmers market. The Fort Meade

Alliance helped to get the vendors on to the post to help serve the community,” said Command Sergeant Major Rodwell Forbes, Fort Meade's Garrison Command Sergeant Major. “It started out small, and as the message got out, it started growing larger and larger. That actually created an atmosphere of people wanting to eat healthier, and it also pushed out into our dining facilities and commissary.”

It’s this type of success story MHS would like to see repeated at its other installations demonstrating the HBI. “While each facility might have its own needs to fill, we want to have these same kinds of local partnerships to give the communities what they need to be healthy,” said Elenberg.

Fort Meade Alliance helps local base community stay healthy

Members of the Fort Meade Alliance (FMA) meet during the group’s annual President’s Reception.

Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 15www.voicenewspaper.com

Study: Breast density helps better predict breast cancer risk

A new study from UVA Cancer Center found that adding a measurement of breast density better predicts women’s risk for breast cancer. Including breast density as part of risk models for breast cancer could support the development of a personalized risk model to recommend how often a woman should have a mammogram based on her unique risk factors.

The study, “Volumetric Breast Density Improves Breast Cancer Risk Prediction,” was presented during the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

“There is increasing interest in implementing personalized breast cancer screening strategies instead of guidelines based on a woman’s age. However, most risk models do not include breast density, which is an important indicator of a woman’s breast cancer risk,” said Jennifer Harvey, MD, professor of radiology at the UVA School of Medicine. “Our aim was to develop a breast cancer risk model that includes a measurement of breast density with other known risk factors to improve risk prediction and give women personalized knowledge to make decisions about screening and their breast health.”

The study evaluated the association between risk factors and breast cancer diagnosis based on more than 3,400 women who received digital mammograms

at UVA, including women diagnosed with breast cancer and women not diagnosed with breast cancer between 2003 and 2013. Breast density for each woman in the study was calculated using an automated software program; additional risk factor information was self-reported by study participants through an online questionnaire.

“Our current ability to accurately predict an individual woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is very limited, which is why we mostly recommend the same screening for everyone,” said Harvey. The results of this study show that adding breast density significantly improves the accuracy of the breast cancer risk model, which is critical if screening recommendations are to be individualized. The automated measurement of breast density proved to be one of the top five predictors of breast cancer risk in the study population.

These results are consistent with other studies recently published in Breast Cancer Research, Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention that showed strong associations of volumetric density to breast cancer risk.

The study was performed in collaboration with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, and the NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute in Evanston, Illinois. It is authored by Jennifer Harvey, George Stukenborg, Wendy Cohn, Kathy Repich, Olivier Alonzo, Wendy Novicoff, Martin Yaffe and William Knaus.

Penalties will rise this year for people who haven't signed up for health insurance.

Under the Affordable Care Act, this is the first year that taxpayers are required to report whether or not they have health insurance to the Internal Revenue Service.

Those without coverage already face huge medical costs if an accident occurs. Now they will be fined as well. The insurance requirement and accompanying penalties were set by the law to keep premium costs affordable as more people sign up for health insurance.

The penalties for the uninsured are for people who don’t take care of themselves which is bad health, according to health advocates. The penalties are far greater than any penalty that the IRS can assess.

Did you know you might end up paying more than $95 if you opted out of getting

health coverage last year?What else do individuals need to know

at tax time? Those who had the minimum essential health coverage through an employer, Medicare or Medicaid in 2014 will have to check the box expected to be on line 61 of the 1040 tax return, which indicates that you had coverage for the entire year, according to published reports. Individuals who signed up for coverage under a public health exchange should receive a form called a 1095 verifying their coverage.

One of the scenarios: Individuals who signed up for coverage on a public exchange and qualified for a subsidy but later received a raise at work will owe more money back than they counted on.

According to a recent report released by the Department of Health and Human Services, 164,884 people in Virginia selected plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace leading up to the Dec. 15, 2014 deadline for coverage beginning Jan. 1. About 83 percent of Virginians who selected health insurance plans in the first month of open enrollment were determined eligible for financial assistance to lower their monthly premiums, compared to 74 percent who selected plans over a similar period last year. Of the 164,884 Virginians who selected a plan, 46 percent reenrolled in a Marketplace plan in 2015 and 54 percent signed up for the first time.

The report provides the first detailed analysis of enrollment in the Marketplaces for the first month of the 2015 open enrollment period. Because the automatic reenrollment process for the 37 states using the HealthCare.gov platform (including Virginia) began on Dec. 16 and was completed for the vast majority of consumers on Dec. 18, the report with data through Dec. 15 does not fully capture the number of people who selected plans leading up to the deadline.

“We’re pleased that in Virginia 164,884 people signed up for Marketplace coverage during the first month of open enrollment. The vast majority were able to lower their costs even further by getting tax credits, making a difference in the bottom lines of so many families,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. “Interest in the Marketplace [was] strong during the first month of open enrollment. We still have a lot of work to do before Feb. 15, but this [was] an encouraging start.”

Nationwide, more than four million people signed up for the first time or reenrolled in coverage for 2015 during the first month of open enrollment. That includes more than 3.4 million people who selected a plan in the 37 states that are using the HealthCare.gov platform for 2015, including Virginia, and more than 600,000 consumers who selected plans in the 14 states that are operating their own Marketplace platform for 2015.

No health insurance? IRS fines to rise during 2015

HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell

16 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICECALENDAR & EVENTS

Only submit the who, what, where and when. We reserve the right to edit all submissions

for space, clarity, style and grammar. Flyers will not be accepted.

E-mail events to: editor@voicenewspaper.com.

OngoingFree cataract surgery (Richmond)

Virginia Eye Institute (VEI) will begin accepting applications for its Annual Cataract Mission, an outreach program designed to help Virginians in need receive free cataract surgery. Eligibility criteria for the application-based program include visual impairment as a result of cataracts, lack of insurance (including Medicare Part A) and lack of financial means to pay for surgery.

Applications will be accepted through Feb. 16, 2015. Screenings will be held Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, and the surgery date is Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015. Qualified candidates may call the Cataract Mission “Hotline” at 804-287-4905 to request an application or download an application in PDF format from www.vaeye.com.

Call (888) ASK-PFML (275-7365)

NatioNal MegaN’s law HelpliNe & sex

offeNder registratioN tips

prograM

Mental illness educationNAMI of Central Virginia will sponsor a Free Peer-to-Peer Education Program

specifically for adults with mental illness. The 10-week series of classes take place on Thursday of each week. Classes will start on Jan. 15, from 6 - 8 p.m., in the Bosher Auditorium at Chippenham Hospital, at 7101 Jahnke Rd., Richmond.

The free 10-week course offers a holistic approach to recovery through a combination of lecture, discussion, interactive exercises and stress-management techniques. The Peer-to-Peer class will offer further insight into mental health and knowledge about how to cope with difficult circumstances, identify feelings, thoughts, behaviors and events that can result in a possible relapse. The class provides information on how to be an active participant in ones treatment plan. Knowledge about strengthening interpersonal relations, and the sharing of experiences with peers who are also working toward recovery.

The course is designed specifically for peers living with a mental illness. The course is not appropriate for family members who have a loved one with a mental illness. NAMI-CVA offers a separate course, Family-to-Family education, for individuals who have a family member with a major mental illness.

The NAMI Peer-to-Peer Education Course is free. For more information or to register, call the NAMI Peer-to-Peer Program Coordinator, Jeff Conley at 804-285-1749 or email jeff.conley@namicentralvirginia.org.

Jan. 15

Environmental Ethics Environmental ethics is the study of questions about human moral responsibility to

the environment. Boring? No! Join Proffessor Samantha Emswiler in a provocative and engaging Falls of the James Group of the Sierra Club program on Wednesday Jan. 14 from 7 - 9 p.m. at the Jepson Alumni Center - University of Richmond, 49 Crenshaw Way, Richmond.

The event will be followed by a tribute to John Z and the retiring FOJG officers. Falls of the James Group of the Sierra Club. For more information, visit virginia.sierraclub.org/fojg or call 804-745-1512.

Freedom Classic 2015The 19th Annual Freedom Classic Festival returns to Richmond Jan. 16-18. For the

past 18 years, the Freedom Classic Festival has commemorated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while celebrating two prominent historically black colleges in the area — Virginia State University and Virginia Union University. Before watching these two area rivals battle to defend the title as “King of the Court,” festival goers can also look forward to supplementary events and activities throughout Martin Luther King weekend.

The 2015 Freedom Classic Festival theme is “What are you doing for others?” These words, spoken by Dr. King are a reflection of his lifelong dedication to perpetuate justice, hope and peace for everyone. Honoring his legacy, the Freedom Classic Festival is asking those from all walks of life to come together to help serve, strengthen and advance their own communities. For more information, visit www.freedomclassicfestival.com.

Jan. 14

Jan. 16

People’s Assembly for Jobs, Peace & Justice The 2015 annual Virginia People’s Assembly for Jobs, Peace & Justice will convene

on Jan. 10, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 1720 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond. Doors open for registration at 7:30 a.m.

Now in its seventh year, the Virginia Peoples Assembly is an annual gathering of activists engaged in struggles for “Jobs, Peace & Justice.” It is comprised of union members, community activists, prison/prisoner advocates, women’s rights activists, immigrants, the LBGTQ community, students, antiwar organizers, veterans and more.

The VPA is open to everyone who supports the demands for “Jobs, Peace & Justice.” The suggested donation is $10, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Endorsing individuals and organizations may host panels, display literature and submit resolutions to be voted on at the second of the day’s three plenary general sessions.

Lunch, dinner and all-day coffee and tea will be provided. Childcare will be available. The location is wheelchair-accessible.

To view the full schedule, see the wwww.VaPeoplesAssembly.org. For more information or to volunteer, email vapeoplesassembly@gmail.com or call 804-644-5834.

Jan. 10

Eustis community forumFort Eustis and Department of the Army headquarters officials will hold a community

listening session open to the public about proposed Army force reductions and restructuring at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Wylie Theater (Building 705) on the installation.

The session provides a forum for elected officials, local community leaders, citizens and Eustis workforce to offer comments for the Army to consider when making decisions about force reductions and restructuring that could impact the greater Fort Eustis area. Senior Commander Army Element for Joint Base Langley Eustis - Fort Eustis,Maj. Gen. Ross E. Ridge, will host the session.

Jan. 13

Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 17www.voicenewspaper.com

Doors open 7:30 a.m. We start PROMPTLY at 8:00 a.m.Free Admission for CVAACC members

Non-members $20.00

Please RSVP via the www.CVAACC.org Event Calendar

We want to have your cup of coffee or juice ready for you.

Central Virginia African American Chamber of CommerceEmail: Info@CVAACC.org • Phone: 804-823-7745

Network with other African American business owners, managers, and professionals. This is an opportunity for you to introduce yourself and your business to “family” members who

did not know that you existed.Make connections that can grow your

business. Make connections so you can refer others to someone that you just met.

Sponsored by: A.W. Smith Financial Small Business Solutions

www.AWSmithFinancial.com

Thursday, January 8, 2015 7:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.

Oyster’s Pearl1401 Roseneath Road • Richmond, VA 23230

Free Continental Breakfast courtesy of Oyster’s Pearl

Seeking a Winter wonderland? Find it at The Omni Homestead Resort, celebrating 55 seasons of ski and snowboarding fun.

* Based on double occupancy. Restrictions may apply. See website for details.

540-839-1766omnihotels.com/thehomestead

Make history on our slopes.

from $224*

Accommodations + 2 lift tickets

HOMESTEAD SKI

OMHS-1109-Statewide-PressSkiAd-3.22x4-BW-F.indd 1 12/19/14 4:17 PM

Divorce and its effects will be the topic at this month’s forum in the RVA Parenting Series. Among the issues to be tackled: How can parents provide emotional stability and guidance through this difficult transition? What are the best ways to co-parent through the adjustment to ensure healthy relationships with both parents? How can custody matters be resolved in the best interest of the entire family?

“Divorce: The Rippling Effect” takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 6 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of Richmond - Short Pump location.

According Commonwealth Parenting, which launched the RVA Parents Forum Series last October, more than one million children will see their parents divorce this year and 50 percent will experience this life-changing event before turning 18.

“At any age, the break up of their parents

can leave kids feeling sad, angry, and deeply hurt,” noted the group. “Often, the rippling effects of the split can impact the entire family.”

The panel of speakers scheduled for the forum includes Jill A.F. Gasper, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in working with children, adolescents, and families of divorce; Lynne B. Einhaus, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and divorce coach; and Julie Cillo, a family law attorney with Hall & Hall and fellow with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

“Divorce is undeniably a difficult process for all, but research and experience have taught us that much of children’s distress can be mitigated by two parents who make the choice to put their children first and develop a cooperative co-parenting relationship,” said Gasper.

Parents forum series to tackle how to parent through divorce

18 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICE

From wire reportsThe FBI is looking into the hanging

death of a North Carolina teenager months after it was ruled a suicide, as his mother asked, “Was my son lynched?”

Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old high school football player, was found hanging from a swing set in Bladenboro, a small town where racial tensions still run high.

His family and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have called the death suspicious for months. On Friday, Bladen County District Attorney Jon David said that an FBI agent will probe the case.

“We are thankful for the decision by the FBI to investigate — thoroughly — the death of my son,” the boy’s grieving mother, Claudia Lacy, told the Daily News. “I do not believe he committed suicide. Too many questions remain, too many answers not given.”

The mom pointed out that her son was dating a 31-year-old white woman.

“Lennon loved life and was looking forward to life,” she added.

The teen’s body was spotted by a witness around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 29, hanging from a swing set in a local trailer park. Local authorities said the teen killed himself, but his mom said she knew they were wrong the moment she saw his body zipped into a body bag.

Lacy’s family said lingering racism

remains an issue in Bladenboro, a small town that is 80 percent white and 18 percent black.

“Black people don’t walk late at night, because they’re afraid of not making it home,” his brother, Pierre Lacy said.

The NAACP also suggested the area’s

racial tensions — and Lacy’s white girlfriend — played a part in the hanging.

“He did have an interracial relationship and attended an interracial church and people in that community raised their dislike of that,” said Reverend William Barber, president of the North Carolina’s

NAACP in November.Lacy’s family last saw him on Aug. 28.The 17-year-old who dreamed of playing

in the NFL was getting ready for the next day’s football game and decided to go for an evening run.

He never came home.The next day, police found Lacy hanged

by a dog leash and a belt on a playground outside of a trailer park. He was wearing laceless shoes that were a size and a half too small for him, his family said. The belt around his neck was not his own, they claimed.

The white shoes found with him went missing before the Medical Examiner got the body. They have not been found.

When the witness called 911, operators told her to take the body down.

His hands weren’t bagged to preserve any DNA from a possible attacker.

Four days later, investigators ruled the death a suicide.

“For those four days, the police didn’t once come to my house, they didn’t look inside Lennon’s room — they still haven’t to this day. They didn’t ask to see his cell phone so they could track his calls, they didn’t ask me what clothes he was wearing the night before he died,” his mom wrote in the Guardian.

Detectives suggested Lacy was depressed.

“How do you psychologically evaluate a dead person?” his brother Pierre Lacy asked. “He was just too excited for football for me to believe that he would end himself.”

Days after Lacy was buried, his grave was desecrated, further raising his family’s suspicions.

Activists said they just want a thorough investigation into Lacy’s death.

“There seems to be a rush to suicide,” Barber said. “If Lennon Lacy was white and was found hanging in a predominately black trailer park that has known to have some drug involvement and other things, we just don’t believe it would be this quick rush to say it was a suicide.”

The family hopes the FBI probe could be the detailed investigation they have been waiting for.

“We demand the truth. Tell us what happened to Lennon Lacy,” Claudia Lacy wrote. “Tell me what happened to my son.”

‘Was my son lynched?’ Family of NC teen found hanging question suicide ruling as FBI promises probe

Lennon Lacy, 17, was found hanging from a swing set at a trailer park last August.

Lacy’s brother, Pierre, and mother, Claudia, said racial tensions still run high in North Carolina. WIRE PHOTOS

Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 19www.voicenewspaper.com

By Freddie AllenWASHINGTON (NNPA) – Black

Republicans made history during the midterm elections in November by winning in Texas, South Carolina and Texas, but political analysts wonder if the victories will have any long-term impact on the future of the GOP in the black community.

Traditionally, black candidates running for elected offices not only need a large black turnout, but also a majority of the black vote to win statewide and national races.

Senator Tim Scott made history by becoming the first black Republican elected to serve in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He won with just 10 percent of the black vote and 82 percent of the white vote, according to exit polls.

Representative-elect Will Hurd beat his Democratic challenger Pete Gallego in Texas by a narrow 2.1 percent margin in a predominately Hispanic congressional district (House District 23) to become the first black Republican from Texas elected to the United States Congress since Reconstruction.

When the next congressional term begins, Mia Love, a black Mormon and daughter of Haitian immigrants, will represent Utah’s 4th House district in a state where blacks account for just 1.3 percent of the total population.

Lorenzo Morris, a political science professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., said that the black community shouldn’t expect much from the black Republicans during the next legislative session, because they won largely without black voters. In addition, he said, their rank as freshmen lawmakers will limit their influence within the party.

“Their collective impact, if they are really outspoken, will just be on the plus side of zero, barely zero,” said Morris. “The obvious impact for Republicans is positive only to the extent that it shows visually, if not substantively, an outreach to minorities.”

Scott earned an “F” on the NAACP’s legislative report card during the first session of the 113th Congress from January 2013 – Dec. 26, 2013.

ThinkProgress.org reported that Scott proposed a bill in 2011 to block families from receiving food stamp benefits if one

of the adults in the home joined a strike, and as a state legislature Scott supported cuts to South Carolina’s HIV/AIDS budget.

In a 2012 speech, Love accused President Barack Obama of “pitting us against each other based on our income level, gender, and social status” and said that, “His policies have failed.” Love has also pledged to take the Congressional Black Caucus “apart from the inside out.”

If they continue to express views counter to those held by the black electorate that overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama with more than 90 percent of their votes in back-to-back elections, Morris said, that their presence could actually hurt that visual image of minority outreach, because it will further distance the GOP from the politics that are overwhelmingly characteristic of black voters.

Raynard Jackson, a Republican strategist and the president and CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, called Love, “the embodiment of the American Dream” and said that her journey as a first generation Haitian immigrant to become the first black Republican female ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives is amazing.

“It doesn’t matter what her politics are or what her party affiliation is, if Love’s story doesn’t inspire you, then there is something wrong with you as an American

citizen,” said Jackson.Former congressman Allen West (R-Fla.)

said that the Republican Party has to remind black voters that the conservative principles and values of the GOP are quite consistent with the history of the black community.

“When you go back and read Booker T. Washington’s writings at the turn of the century, his remedy for the black community under the stress and strain of segregation and Jim Crow laws were three points: education, entrepreneurship and self-reliance,” said West. “When you look at each one of those individuals Sen. Tim Scott, representatives Mia Love and Will Hurd, that’s what they represent, and those are the three things we must have conversations about in the black community.”

West compared the overwhelming loyalty that black voters have for the Democratic Party to an investor that puts all of his eggs in one basket. Just like an investor shouldn’t put all of his money in one fund or one venture, West said, black voters should also diversify their political capital.

“The people in these majority-minority districts are going to have to look up and say, ‘Why are we still in this situation? Why do we continue to elect the same person and nothing is getting any better?’” said West.

Morris said that if a black Republican wanted to sway black voters in any significant way, the candidate would have to talk about social policies and programs in ways that are open and address issues such as income inequality similar to the way a moderate Democrat would. In short: the candidate would have to be a liberal Republican.

“It would take a miracle for a black Republican to win a majority black district,” said Morris.

Still Raynard Jackson said that the additions of Scott, Hurd and Love will help the party, if they are properly utilized.

Jackson used a basketball analogy to describe how the Republican Party can continue to win with candidates like Tim Scott, Mia Love and Will Hurd.

“You have to understand the strengths and the weaknesses of each player and you have to know when to put them in the game and when to sit them down,” said Jackson. “You have to understand when to bring a Tim Scott, a Mia Love, a Will Hurd in to speak. You can’t send them everywhere. You have to understand what their message is to best utilize them. That’s what has to be done.”

Jackson added: “Just because they’re black, doesn’t mean you throw them out there to a black audience.”

Black Republicans not expected to be a plus for blacks

From left to right: Tim Scott, Mia Love, and Will Hurd

the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association, and Laurie Robinson, professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University and former Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.

The taskforce’s Executive Director is Ron Davis, director of DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office.

The taskforce is charged with preparing a report and recommendations for the President. Their initial report is due by March.

“He is feeling urgent about this,” she said

of Obama. “In the Oval Office a few weeks ago, I could tell he is taking this very personally. He wants to see some clear, thoughtful action come from this.”

The group will hold listening sessions where they will hear testimony from invited witnesses, as well as their recommendations. They will also invite comments and questions from the public. The first session will be held in Washington, D.C. in mid-January.

Packnett said listening is the first and most important step. As a Ferguson Commissioner, Packnett has been hearing

the concerns of people in St. Louis for several weeks.

“I want to make sure that I am thoughtfully and dutifully representing those perspectives” on a national level, she said.

Other taskforce members include:• Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama• Susan Rahr, executive director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission who has spent over 30 years as a law enforcement officer• Tracey Meares, the Walton Hale Hamilton Professor of Law at Yale Law School• Constance Rice, a civil rights attorney and co-director of the Advancement Project• Roberto Villaseñor, chief of the Tucson Police Department• Sean Smoot, director and chief counsel for the Police Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois and the Police Benevolent Labor Committee• Cedric L. Alexander, deputy chief operating officer for public safety in DeKalb County, Georgia and national president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

The group’s meetings and outreach details, including the online public comment process, will be announced soon.

20 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICE

By Larry MillerNNPA — A Philadelphia Fire

Department paramedic has apologized over the social media posting of a picture where two black men were pointing pistols at the head of a white police officer, but Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said disciplinary actions might be taken.

The posting, a clip from a music video by rappers Uncle Murda and Maino, titled “Hands Up,” caused an uproar from city officials over what was seen as a slur against police officers. The picture was subsequently removed by the paramedic, Marcell Salters.

Any decision regarding discipline would be made by the fire commissioner after the completion of an investigation ordered by Mayor Michael Nutter.

“I’m still waiting on a report by my special investigations people,” Sawyer said. “But based on preliminary findings I would say yes, some form of disciplinary action would be taken.”

Sawyer personally apologized to Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey over the posting, he said.

Salters said on his Facebook page the posting, which appeared earlier this week, was an angry response to the national furor over the Eric Garner and Michael Brown killings and not an insult against police officers.

“I would like to deeply apologize to anyone I have offended,” Salters said. “That post was out of anger [at] what is going on around the world — Mike Brown, Eric Garner and past experiences that I have had with the police. My intention was not to slander or hurt anyone or my brothers in blue. Again I am sorry.”

Nutter called the posting reprehensible and said he condemns it in the strongest possible terms. He said while citizens should always exercise their First Amendment rights, the posting went beyond the standard of decency.

“I condemn the behavior of a paramedic

in the Philadelphia Fire Department who used social media to post a reprehensible message and photo that targeted police officers, particularly at a time of emotional volatility and citizen protests in the wake of the tragedies in Ferguson and New York City,” Nutter said. “We celebrate the exercise of our First Amendment right [of] expression, but there are clear limits.

“Inflammatory speech or behavior like this is simply irresponsible and could potentially incite others to inappropriate actions.”

Joe Schulle, president of the International Association of Firefighters, Local 22, said fire fighters and the police work together and assured police officers his people will always assist them whenever needed.

“The members of the Philadelphia Fire Department have historically had a great working relationship with the Philadelphia Police Department,” Schulle said. “We are brothers and sisters in public safety and we often call upon each other for assistance.”

Paramedic faces disciplinary action over posting

By Rebecca RivasBrittany Packnett, executive director of Teach For America St. Louis, has been on the frontlines of the Ferguson movement, demanding stronger police accountability for more than 130 days. She has met twice as an appointed member of the Ferguson Commission created by Gov. Jay Nixon. Last week, President Barack Obama selected Packnett to serve on a White House taskforce to study “21st century policing” and ways to increase the public’s trust in police officers.

A native of North St. Louis County, Packnett wants to make sure children’s voices aren’t “lost in the conversation.”

“I have the unique perspective of talking to so many young people,” she said. “They have been very honest about the experiences they have with law enforcement and the kind of relationship they would like to see.”

In her professional work, she witnesses how poor relationships with police officers affect children’s education, she said. Teach For America corps members largely work in predominately African-American neighborhoods and schools.

“We need to do a lot of researching on how policing affects adolescents,” she said. “So many of these stories are, ‘I was walking home from school,’ or ‘I was walking to my grandma’s house.’”

Last week, President Obama signed an executive order to create the taskforce and announced its 12 members. The goal is to “strengthen community policing and strengthen trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve,” according to a White House statement.

The taskforce includes law enforcement representatives, community leaders, academics, and youth leaders. Packnett is the only member from the St. Louis area.

However, she met another member, Jose Lopez, last month when several young protest leaders from around the country were invited to speak with Obama. Lopez is currently the lead organizer at Make the Road New York, a Brooklyn-based non-profit community organization focused on civil rights, education reform and combating poverty.

“Jose is brilliant,” she said. “He is exactly the kind of person we need,” on the taskforce.

The two chairs of the group are Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who also serves as president of

Teach For America Executive Director for St. Louis Brittany Packnett talks with Corps member coach Natasha Dupee. PHOTO: Wiley Price/St. Louis American

Packnett to serve on White House Taskforce on Policing

Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 21www.voicenewspaper.com

China exchange from page 10

Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a group that advocates for nearly 300,000 students through a network that includes publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), said that after meeting with world leaders in the public and private sector, he found Perfect World to be the perfect partner, because not only were they interested in entry-level opportunities for HBCU students, but they were also looking for mid-tier professionals, as well.

Taylor said that the exchange isn’t just about number-crunchers and programmers, but it also about graphic designers and artists.

Taylor noted that people limit science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions very much, but in reality everyone interacts with STEM every day.

“Everything that we do is about STEM,” said Taylor.

Robert Xiao, the CEO of Perfect World, said through conversations with Taylor, he discovered that they shared a similar vision and a grand goal of changing people in the

United States and in China.“We know a lot of young professionals

need to not only grasp the technology part and the art part, but also the culture part,” said Xiao. “You gotta go abroad, you gotta be able talk to different people, you have to understand other nations and other cultures deeper.”

Xiao added that not only will Perfect World benefit from these types of exchanges, but the industry will benefit as well.

The Perfect World CEO said that he wants to expose Black college students to the “the beautiful business from China” while giving Chinese students a modern piece of America and a deeper understanding of the community.

Xiao continued: “That’s what we call an “’exchange.’”

According to the International Monetary Fund, China recently surpassed the United States as the world’s largest economy. Taylor said that it would be senseless not to have relationships with the Chinese, especially with what he called a ‘Chinese American company.’ Perfect World is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

During a ceremony on Capitol Hill to announce the fellowship program, Hao Ping, the vice minister of education in the Ministry of Education in China, noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping explained that in 1978, during early student exchange efforts, 52 Chinese students were sent to study in the U.S. and eight American students traveled to China. Hao called the exchange “a landmark event in the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations.”

By 2013, more than 400,000 Chinese students were studying in the U.S. and thanks to the 100,000 Strong Initiative, a group that promotes Mandarin language learning and study abroad, Hao said that more that 100,000 American students have the chance to study in China.

The announcement about the Zhi-Xing China – Perfect World U.S.-China Young Leaders Fellowship program follows the launch of a collaboration between HBCUs and the CEAIE, that will provide 1,000 scholarship awards to HBCU students.

David Wilson, the president of Morgan State University in Baltimore, led a delegation of HBCU officials on the trip to Beijing where the memorandum of

understanding was signed between the schools and the Chinese government last July.

The Beijing delegation included school administrators from the following HBCUs: Tougaloo College, Hampton University, Bowie State University, Spelman College, Howard University, Morehouse College, Xavier University, and Morgan State University.

Even though the eligibility requirements and selection process for the Zhi-Xing China—Perfect World U.S.-China Young Leaders Fellowships still needs to be finalized, officials with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund said that students will begin traveling to China for the exchange program in July 2015.

Taylor said that the world is huge and that the most important thing that HBCU students need to know about the program is that opportunities exist not only in the U.S., but also around the world.

“Our students can’t be limited by the job market in the U.S.,” said Taylor. “They have to think globally. Our community has to get on board.”

By Yaël OssowskiIn a ruling handed down by the U.S.

Supreme Court, the nation’s top court found that a police officer who mistakenly interprets a law and pulls someone over hasn’t violated their Fourth Amendment rights.

The case pertained to a traffic stop initiated on Nicholas Heien in North Carolina, on account of a broken tail light. The stop and search of the vehicle, conducted by the officer after the initial citation, yielded a good amount of cocaine. Heien was charged with drug trafficking.

The problem? According to North Carolina traffic law, only one tail light needs to be functional. That means the initial stop, justified on these grounds, would have been illegal — and so would the seizure of the cocaine found in Heien’s car.

Heien filed a lawsuit to suppress the evidence of cocaine possession based on this fact, according to the Supreme Court ruling, and was eventually vindicated by the state Court of Appeals. But that was overturned by the North Carolina State Supreme Court and brought to the nation’s

highest court on appeal.The final ruling examined whether the

misunderstanding of the law would be considered “reasonable” for an officer to make.

The majority opinion issued Dec. 15

and written by Chief Justice John Roberts found that police officers only need to “reasonably believe” something is against the law to pull someone over. Effectively, this means cops can pull you over even if you haven’t broken a law.

“I understand the idea that when, you know, 99 people out of a hundred think you have to have two brake lights, like you do everywhere else in the country, that it’s reasonable for the police officer to think that,” said Roberts during oral arguments, siding with the police.

“The government’s basic argument is that it was reasonable to pull over the driver based on the law as it was believed to be at the time; the officers who made the stop weren’t acting culpably or wrongly based on the situation they confronted,” wrote Orin Kerr, professor of law at the George Washington University Law School.

Critics of the case point to a certain amount of double standard when it comes to knowing the law for citizens and police officers.

“The result is a system in which “ignorance of the law is no excuse” for citizens facing conviction, but police can

use their own ignorance about the law to their advantage,” notes the legal brief on the case by a coalition of civil rights organizations, including American Civil Liberties Union and Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

The brief filed with the Supreme Court argues the decision made by the North Carolina State Supreme Court was “inconsistent with the logic that applies to factual mistakes committed by law enforcement and erodes civil liberties, all while undermining police authority and safety.”

“Citizens are presumed to know and understand the laws in every jurisdiction in which they drive,” notes the brief. “Thus, the North Carolina Supreme Court’s rule exempts police officers from the ambit of the presumption exactly when it is most likely to vindicate constitutional protections.”

So while police officers are sworn to uphold, execute and enforce the law, that doesn’t mean they need to understand it completely to carry out traffic stops and eventual arrests on citizens.

© Watchdog.org

Court: Cops can pull you over even if you haven’t broken a law

22 • Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 The VOICE

Retr i eve knowledge by read ing newspapers!Pick up your copy of

The VOICE

CONTRACT SALES REP

The VOICE is looking for a contract sales representative to help us maximize our revenue potential by selling ad space through a multi-platform advertising program that includes newspaper, special editions and online advertising.

The ideal candidate is knowledgeable in newspaper sales, but your motivation and drive to learn are much more desirable qualities.

Your earning potential is limitless, based on your sales acumen. We pay a small weekly stipend with the bulk of your earnings coming from commission paid on closed sales. You must have reliable transportation.

Your responsibilities will include developing and executing sales strategies while meeting and exceeding monthly goals.

You must:Be professionalBe motivatedBe well spokenBe willing to learnBe organizedBe well-written

Please submit your resume, cover letter, references, and contact information to ads@voicenewspaper.com. No phone calls please.

CLASSIFIED & LEGAL ADS

ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLESDC BIG FLEA JAN 10-11. An Amazing Treasure Hunt! Metro DC’s Largest Antique Event! Dulles Expo-Chantilly, VA. 4320 Chantilly Shop Ctr, 20151. Adm $8 Sat 9-6 Sun 11-5 www.thebigfleamarket.com EDUCATION / TRAININGMEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES NEEDED! Train to become a Medical Office Assistant. NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Training & Job Placement available at CTI! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. 1-888-424-9419. TRAIN AT HOME FOR A NEW CAREER! Training Grant is available for Medical & Computer training programs! CALL FOR QUALIFICATIONS! Online training at CTI! 1-888-528-5546.

HELP WANTED / EDUCATION

TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR to fill 2015-16 Vacancies ~ did you know over 700 teaching positions were filled by the following Virginia school divisions in the 2014-15 school year: Counties of Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke and Wythe; and the Cities of Martinsville, Roanoke and Salem. Join us on Fri, Jan 30, 2015 - 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. & Sat, Jan 31, 2015 - 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Salem Civic Center, 1001 Boulevard, Salem, VA 24153. See www.wvpec.org (Job Fair) to download application, see division requirements and inclement weather updates. Sponsored by the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium HELP WANTED / TRUCK DRIVERS

DRIVERS-CDL TRAINING $40,000-$50,000 1st Year! Roanoke 540-857-6188 or Spotsylvania 540-582-8200. 4 Weeks or 10 Weekends. Guaranteed Financing, Grants

and Job Placement Assistance Available. Veterans Welcome. Driver – New Year New Career! 67 Driver Trainees needed Now! No CDL? No Problem! Train for your CDL with us! Great pay & benefits! 1-800-874-7131

Local Company needs: Dedicated/OTR/Casual Drivers $2,000 Sign-On Bonus, Paid Vacation/Medical/401k, Good Pay/Home Time 877-346-0997

Hiring OTR Professionals who want Consistent Miles – average $2,800+; consistent pay – average $51,400 per year; 2012 or newer trucks. Call Fischer Trucking today at 1-800-486-8660.

LOTS AND ACREAGE

SPORTSMAN CABIN SWEEPING MTN. VIEWS SHORT DRIVE DC 5.5 ACRES $119,900. Finished log sided cabin on Open/wooded park like parcel. Close to lake and public land. Read for you to enjoy. 800-888-1262 Hillcrestrealty.us

MISCELLANEOUS

WELDING CAREERS – Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. CALL AIM 866-312-4873

AVIATION Grads work with JetBlue, Boeing, NASA and others – start here with hands on training for FAA certification. Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888-245-9553.

SERVICES

DIVORCE – Uncontested, $350 + $88 court cost. No court appearance required. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. All telephone inquiries welcome with no obligation. Hilton Oliver, Attorney. 757-490-0126.

DISPATCHER – (SYSTEM STATUS CONTROLLER) – FULL TIME

Under the direction of the Communications Super-visor, this position is directly responsible for prop-erly deploying unit hours, using approved System Status Management techniques. Will serve as the first contact with callers and, as such, will often be called upon to calm and direct the actions of lay persons, prior to the arrival of the EMS person-

nel, using Medical Priority Dispatch protocols. The ability to pass on pertinent information, and provides direction to ambulance personnel. Position requires the innate ability to perform several tasks at one time. Ideal candidate must have one year of experience functioning as an EMT in a pre-hospital setting and have a solid base knowledge of service area and major street locations.

To apply, please visit www.raaems.org to fill out an application. Applications and resumes due by 5PM on January 12, 2015. EOE/AAP

VEHICLE SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Richmond Ambulance Authority is currently seeking a Vehicle Service Technician. This position is located in the Logistics department and supports the mission with various duties. The candidate will serve as a vehicle service technician within the resource area and will support all operations in the Logistics Department while ensuring that

all ambulances are “response ready” for the field crews coming in for their shift assignment, with the goal of reducing down time and increasing the quality and delivery of services to crews and patients. Responsibilities include cleaning and stocking all units, grounds, and facilities. The delivered product is a clean vehicle inside and outside with well-stocked shelves and functioning equipment. Candidate be at least 18 years of age and possess a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.

Please visit our website at www.raaems.org to apply no later than 5PM January 12, 2015. EEO/AAP

QA/QI and Coding Coordinator of Reimbursement

Richmond Ambulance Authority has an exciting opportunity available for a Coding and QA/QI Coordinator. This position will be responsible for training staff on proper coding practices, assisting with the implementation of ICD-10, and performing internal QA/QI assessments. The candidate will be responsible for reviewing and assessing billing and

coding practices, and reporting to management on QA/QI compliance. The candidate must understand and comply with State and Federal, insurance regulations and guidelines.

The ideal candidate must have five years medical billing and coding experience and have experience using medical billing software. The position requires the candidate to have their CPC, CCS-P, or an equivalent/comparable coding certificate. The position requires someone that is detail oriented, organized, and effective in handling their responsibilities. The position requires personal qualities and characteristics necessary for working effectively in a fast paced, team-oriented environment. This position will require a criminal background investigation, credit report review, work sample, and drug testing. Excellent benefits, salary commensurate with experience.

To apply, please visit www.raaems.org to complete an application no later than 5:00PM January 12, 2015. EOE/AAP

Jan. 7 - 13, 2015 • 23www.voicenewspaper.com CLASSIFIED & LEGAL ADS

PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 1-800-618-9017

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1-800-324-7153 to start your application today!

Got Knee Pain? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace -little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 1- 800-318-3063

Do you owe over $10,000 to the IRS or State in back taxes? Get tax relief now! Call BlueTax, the nation’s full service tax solution firm. 800-615-6513

DirecTV?s the Big Deal special! Only $19.99 per month - Free premium channels HBO, Starz, Cinemax and Showtime for 3 months and Free Receiver upgrade! NFL 2014 Season Included. Call Now 1-800-439-6531

TELEVISION and

HIGH SPEED INTERNET Your Way!

CALL NOW!800.906.0399

Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 9 am – 9 pm EST and Saturday 10 am – 4 pm ESTNationwide Television & High Speed Internet Activation Hotline Same Day Installations in Most Areas

• NO Equipment to Buy

• FREE DVR Upgrade

• FREE HDTV Upgrade

• FREE PRO Installation

• Over 140 HD Channels Available

TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION TELEVISION

Your Way!Your Way!Your Way!Your Way!Your Way!Your Way!

WATCH ANY THING, GO ANYWHERE

AS LOW AS

$1999

Per Month

Finding Senior Housing can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be.

(800) 721-5251A Place for Mom is the nation’s largest senior living referral information service. We do not own, operate, endorse or recommend any senior living community.

We are paid by partner communities, so our services are completely free to families.

“You can trust A Place for Mom to help you.”

– Joan Lunden

Book your next cruise vacation on Carnival Cruise Lines by visiting CHTravels.com.

Ad Size: 14.76 inches (2 column(s) X 7.38 inches)

1 Issue (Dec. 31) - $132.84Total for 3 issues - $398.52

Rate: $9 per column inch

Includes Internet placement at www.voicenewspaper.com

Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Ok X_________________________________________

Ok with changes X _____________________________

REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. EST

Serving Richmond and Hampton Roads since 1985

205 E. Clay St.Richmond, VA 23219

804-644-9060 • 757-244-5654 • 804-644-5617 (fax) www.voicenewspaper.comads@voicenewspaper.com

NOTICE TO NAMED FATHER BY PUBLICATION

DERRICK FREEMAN, who has been named the father of the child born to Carmeita Vangilder on March 11, 2010, or who claims to be the father of the child born to Carmeita Vangilder on March 11, 2010, is notified that a petition for adoption of the child was filed in the office of the clerk of Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130. If DERRICK FREEMAN seeks to contest the adoption of the child, he must file a motion to contest the adoption in accordance with IC 31‑19‑10‑1 in the above named court not later than thirty (30) days after the date of service of this notice. If DERRICK FREEMAN does not file a motion to contest the adoption within thirty (30) days after service of this notice, the above named court will hear and determine the petition for adoption. His consent will be irrevocably implied and he will lose his right to contest either the adoption or the validity of his implied consent to the adoption. He will lose his right to establish his paternity of the child under IC 31‑14. Nothing Carmeita Vangilder or anyone else says to DERRICK FREEMAN relieves DERRICK FREEMAN of his obligations under this notice. Under Indiana law, a putative father is a person who is named as or claims that he may be the father of a child born out of wedlock but who has not yet been legally proven to be the child's father. For purposes of this notice, DERRICK FREEMAN is a putative father under the laws in Indiana regarding adoption. This notice complies with IC 31‑19‑4‑5 but does not exhaustively set forth a putative father's legal obligations under the Indiana adoption statutes. A person being served with this notice should consult the Indiana adoption statutes. Further, an adoption hearing has been scheduled for the 27th day of February, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. in the Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, located on the second floor of the County Government Building, 501 E. Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130.

DATED THIS 22ND DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014.

BARBARA HAAS, CLERKClark Circuit Court No. 3

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT NO. 3 FOR CLARK COUNTYSTATE OF INDIANA

IN RE THE ADOPTION OFMARIAH RENEE LYNNE VANGILDER

CASE NO. 10C03‑1412‑AD‑054

BY: MICHELLE VANGILDER andJOSEPH VANGILDER

Petitioners

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION FOR ADOPTION HEARING

TO: CARMEITA VANGILDER, whose whereabouts are unknown.

A Verified Petition for Adoption has been filed for the following child, MARIAH RENEE LYNNE VANGILDER. The name and address of the attorney representing the Petitioner in said cause is Rebecca L. Lockard, 411 Watt Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47l30 (812) 288‑4326; that notice by publication is being sought because your whereabouts are unknown; that you are a necessary party to said action; and that you must respond to said petition on or before the expiration of ten days [10] from the date the last notice of the action is published. An adoption hearing has been scheduled in this matter for the 27th day of February, 2015 at 1:30 p.m., at which time you are notified to be present in the Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, located on the second floor of the County Government Building, 501 E. Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130, in order that you may be notified of your constitutional and other legal rights. Should you fail to appear, the Court will hold an Adoption Hearing in your absence, and may make orders that will affect your relationship with your child. You are entitled to have legal counsel to represent you at said hearing. You should immediate consult with an attorney if you have any legal questions.

DATED THIS 22ND DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014.

BARBARA HAAS, CLERKClark Circuit Court No. 3

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT NO. 3 FOR CLARK COUNTYSTATE OF INDIANA

IN RE THE ADOPTION OFMARIAH RENEE LYNNE VANGILDER

CASE NO. 10C03‑1412‑AD‑054

BY: MICHELLE VANGILDER andJOSEPH VANGILDER

Petitioners

Ad Size: 11.20 inches (2 column(s) X 5.6 inches)

1 Issue (Dec. 31) - $100.80Total for 3 issues - $302.40

Rate: $9 per column inch

Includes Internet placement at www.voicenewspaper.com

Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Ok X_________________________________________

Ok with changes X _____________________________

REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. EST

Ad Size: 14.76 inches (2 column(s) X 7.38 inches)

1 Issue (Dec. 31) - $132.84Total for 3 issues - $398.52

Rate: $9 per column inch

Includes Internet placement at www.voicenewspaper.com

Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Ok X_________________________________________

Ok with changes X _____________________________

REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. EST

Serving Richmond and Hampton Roads since 1985

205 E. Clay St.Richmond, VA 23219

804-644-9060 • 757-244-5654 • 804-644-5617 (fax) www.voicenewspaper.comads@voicenewspaper.com

NOTICE TO NAMED FATHER BY PUBLICATION

DERRICK FREEMAN, who has been named the father of the child born to Carmeita Vangilder on March 11, 2010, or who claims to be the father of the child born to Carmeita Vangilder on March 11, 2010, is notified that a petition for adoption of the child was filed in the office of the clerk of Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, 501 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47130. If DERRICK FREEMAN seeks to contest the adoption of the child, he must file a motion to contest the adoption in accordance with IC 31‑19‑10‑1 in the above named court not later than thirty (30) days after the date of service of this notice. If DERRICK FREEMAN does not file a motion to contest the adoption within thirty (30) days after service of this notice, the above named court will hear and determine the petition for adoption. His consent will be irrevocably implied and he will lose his right to contest either the adoption or the validity of his implied consent to the adoption. He will lose his right to establish his paternity of the child under IC 31‑14. Nothing Carmeita Vangilder or anyone else says to DERRICK FREEMAN relieves DERRICK FREEMAN of his obligations under this notice. Under Indiana law, a putative father is a person who is named as or claims that he may be the father of a child born out of wedlock but who has not yet been legally proven to be the child's father. For purposes of this notice, DERRICK FREEMAN is a putative father under the laws in Indiana regarding adoption. This notice complies with IC 31‑19‑4‑5 but does not exhaustively set forth a putative father's legal obligations under the Indiana adoption statutes. A person being served with this notice should consult the Indiana adoption statutes. Further, an adoption hearing has been scheduled for the 27th day of February, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. in the Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, located on the second floor of the County Government Building, 501 E. Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130.

DATED THIS 22ND DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014.

BARBARA HAAS, CLERKClark Circuit Court No. 3

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT NO. 3 FOR CLARK COUNTYSTATE OF INDIANA

IN RE THE ADOPTION OFMARIAH RENEE LYNNE VANGILDER

CASE NO. 10C03‑1412‑AD‑054

BY: MICHELLE VANGILDER andJOSEPH VANGILDER

Petitioners

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION FOR ADOPTION HEARING

TO: CARMEITA VANGILDER, whose whereabouts are unknown.

A Verified Petition for Adoption has been filed for the following child, MARIAH RENEE LYNNE VANGILDER. The name and address of the attorney representing the Petitioner in said cause is Rebecca L. Lockard, 411 Watt Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47l30 (812) 288‑4326; that notice by publication is being sought because your whereabouts are unknown; that you are a necessary party to said action; and that you must respond to said petition on or before the expiration of ten days [10] from the date the last notice of the action is published. An adoption hearing has been scheduled in this matter for the 27th day of February, 2015 at 1:30 p.m., at which time you are notified to be present in the Clark County Circuit Court No. 3, located on the second floor of the County Government Building, 501 E. Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130, in order that you may be notified of your constitutional and other legal rights. Should you fail to appear, the Court will hold an Adoption Hearing in your absence, and may make orders that will affect your relationship with your child. You are entitled to have legal counsel to represent you at said hearing. You should immediate consult with an attorney if you have any legal questions.

DATED THIS 22ND DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014.

BARBARA HAAS, CLERKClark Circuit Court No. 3

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT NO. 3 FOR CLARK COUNTYSTATE OF INDIANA

IN RE THE ADOPTION OFMARIAH RENEE LYNNE VANGILDER

CASE NO. 10C03‑1412‑AD‑054

BY: MICHELLE VANGILDER andJOSEPH VANGILDER

Petitioners

Ad Size: 11.20 inches (2 column(s) X 5.6 inches)

1 Issue (Dec. 31) - $100.80Total for 3 issues - $302.40

Rate: $9 per column inch

Includes Internet placement at www.voicenewspaper.com

Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Ok X_________________________________________

Ok with changes X _____________________________

REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. EST

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THECITY OF RICHMOND BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS

Will hold a Public Hearing in the 5th Floor Conference Rm., City Hall, 900 East Broad St., Richmond, VA on January 7, 2015, to consider the following under Chapter 114 of the Zoning Code:

BEGINNING AT 1:00 P.M.

01-15: An application of Barbara Jean and Robert Long for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance for an eight foot (8’) tall accessory structure (fence) at 409 HARLAN CIRCLE.

02-15: An application of Historic Richmond Renovations for a building permit to re-construct a new single-family detached dwelling on the existing foundation of a previous single-family dwelling at 307 NORTH 21st STREET.

Copies of all cases are available for inspection between 8 AM and 5 PM in Room 511, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Support or opposition may be offered at or before the hearing.

Roy W. Benbow, SecretaryPhone: (804) 240-2124Fax: (804) 646-5789E-mail: Roy.Benbow@richmondgov.com

Ad Size: 8.1 inches (2 columns X 4.05 inches)

2 Issues, Dec. 24 & 31 - ($72.9 per run) $145.80 totalRate: $9 per column inch

Includes Internet placement at www.voicenewspaper.com

Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return by fax or e-mail.If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted.

Ok X_________________________________________

Ok with changes X _____________________________

REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m.

Serving Richmond and Hampton Roads since 1985

205 E. Clay St.Richmond, VA 23219

804-644-9060 • 757-244-5654 • 804-644-5617 (fax) www.voicenewspaper.comads@voicenewspaper.com

We are THE VOICE of the community. Use us to reach them.

Bill Gordon & Associates is a nationwide practice limited to representing clients before the Social Security Administration.Bill Gordon is a member of the Texas & New Mexico Bar Associations. The attorneys at Bill Gordon & Associates workfor quick approval of every case. Results in your case will depend on the unique facts and circumstances of your claim.

Applications/Hearings/AppealsImmediate Access to Experienced PersonnelWe Strive For QuickClaim ApprovalFree Consultation

Win...No Award / No FeeAll Cases Considered

CALL TODAY FOR IMMEDIATE HELP!

(800)324-7153

SOCIAL SECURITYDISABILITY LAW