vol. 47 no. 35 phone: 512-476-0082 email: [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
INSIDE
RAPPIN’Tommy Wyatt
TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION
www.TheAustinVillager.com This paper canbe recycled
Vol. 47 No. 35 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected] March 20, 2020
Texas Physicians Say:Remain Calm, Protect
Yourself, Stay Safe
Texas Physicians Say:Remain Calm, Protect
Yourself, Stay SafeStatement by Texas Medical Association (TMA)
President David C. Fleeger, MD, about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’sstate of emergency declaration regarding COVID-19.
David C. Fleeger, MD
(TEXAS) - “The physicians of theTexas Medical Association stand by Gov-ernor Abbott in his emergency declara-tion to benefit our state. This move is war-ranted and beneficial for Texas.
“Please understand, though, thattoday’s medical emergency in our stateis the same as it was yesterday, and phy-sicians’ prescription remains the same:calm vigilance.
“Texas physicians want to remind ourpatients to remain calm and practicesmart public health precautions. Yourdoctors are here to help Texans cross assafely as possible through the COVID-19wave.
“Here’s what you need to rememberto protect yourself: Wash your hands thor-oughly and often; cough into your elbowor a tissue then throw it away; avoidtouching your face; and by all means, stayhome if you are sick. If you have a feverand cough, call your doctor’s office for in-structions; do not automatically go to your
doctor’s office or to an emergency depart-ment.
“If you’re mildly ill, you don’t need togo to the emergency room, or even yourdoctor’s office, because there is no treat-ment. So if you’re reasonably healthy, youcan take care of a mild illness yourself,as you would the flu.
“However, if you are in a risk groupincluding older people or those with un-derlying health issues, call your doctor’soffice for advice about what to do. And ofcourse anyone experiencing severe emer-gency symptoms like shortness of breathshould seek medical care – but call first ifat all possible.
“TMA and Texas physicians stand be-side Governor Abbott, Texas Departmentof State Health Services Commissioner ofHealth John Hellerstedt, MD, and otherTexas leaders, working to keep our pa-tients healthy and safe.
“Be calm, be cautious, and take careof each other.”
Courageous, Painful Step to Protect Us:Rep. Doggett Statement on Austin COVID-19
Preventative Measures
U.S. RepresentativeLloyd Doggett
(Washington, D.C.)– Today, as Austin MayorSteve Adler announcedthe closing of Austinbars, restaurants, andlimiting gatherings to 10people as protectivemeasures against theCOVID-19 pandemic,
U.S. RepresentativeLloyd Doggett (D-TX), re-leased the followingstatement:
“Like the coura-geous decision to shut-ter SXSW, Mayor Adler istaking the necessarystep to limit sufferingand deaths. Communi-ties across Texas, espe-
cially in our neighboringcounties, should do thesame. With little na-tional leadership, localgovernments must act.The pain for small busi-nesses and their em-ployees will be great; theinconvenience to therest of us is not inconsid-erable. These drastic
steps are necessary be-cause of multiple TrumpAdministration failuresto heed warnings andprepare. Contrary to theoft-repeated Trump liethat anyone can betested, America stilllacks sufficient testingcapability to determineCOVID-19’s spread. Ad-
ditional limitations willlikely be required.Today’s action repre-sents the least worst al-ternative—to hunkerdown, maintain socialdistancing, care for oneanother, and work tomake it through thestorm. Together, we cando this.”
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the Texas National Guard will be activated in response to thenovel coronavirus outbreak in the state. Photo credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
Trump’s Failingsas a Leader can nolonger be Ignored
Thomas WyattVILLAGER Co-editor
(Op-Ed) – Today, Ifind myself out of myspace. You know thatspace? That spacewhere you always wishto take the high roadwhen someone is influ-encing you to go low?My high road is to re-main positive and con-structive; To forwardwisdom, encourage-ment, and hope. I wantto be the one to tell you,
“It’s all good, playa - Youhave nothing to be wor-ried about!”
Today?! Today isn’tthat day. Today, I feel vit-riol pouring from me likevenom from a blackmamba. And it’s all be-cause of Donald Trump.I hardly ever roast Trump
in media forums such asthis. I do not write abouthis daily flops on aweekly basis. I could. Ishould. But I don’t. I savesuch comments for pri-vate conversations. Andeven then, it’s becausehe said some lie aboutObama. Trump always
swipes at the man. Try-ing to bring Barack downto his level because he,himself, will never el-evate to Obama’sheights. Trump only en-forces the argument thatClass has boundaries.
See THE TRUTH, pg 7
Xinos and Kudospursue excellence
in education.See DELTA
Page 5
Independent, popguitarist announces
new single.See VENSON
Page 2
Austin Linkscelebrate 30 yearsof stellar service.See PLATINUM
Page 3
For years, Austin’sminority communitieshave complained aboutthe unfair treatment bymembers of the AustinPolice Department. Butthe complaints fell ondeaf ears; because theinvestigations were al-ways conducted bymembers of the APD.
In an effort to geta better look at the situ-ation, the city createdthe Police Monitors Of-fice to investigate thesecomplaints. That failed;because the Monitor’soffice could not issuetheir findings until theAPD gave its approval. Asa result the results werealways the same; therewas no wrong doing bymembers of the depart-ment.
The city now hastwo groups doing anevaluation of the depart-ment and its members.These departments arethe Office of Police Over-sight (OPO) and the Eq-uity Office. The officewas given the assign-ment to examine APDmotor vehicle stops datafrom 2015-2018.
The organizationhas issued its firstreporet and it is safe tosay that it contained ex-actly what the African/American and Hispanic/Latinos communitiesknew it would. The datareveals racial disparitiesin motor vehicle stops in2018, with Black/AfricanAmericans as the mostoverrepresented of allracial/ethnic groups inAustin.
In 2018, Black/Af-rican Americans madeup 8% of the Austinpopulation, 15% of themotor vehicle stops and25% of the arrest. I thinkthat it is safe to guesswhich racial group camein second.
In order to see thefull report or get more in-formation, go to the Cityof Austin website andlook up Joint Report:Analysis of APD RacialProfiling Data, Office ofInno- vation, and EquityOffice.
RacialDisparity
review is nowavailable
Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com
Artist Jackie VensonReleases New Music
By Naomi Richard | VILLAGER Entertainment Reporter
(VILLAGER) - Aus-tin-based, award-win-ning, independent, R&Band pop guitarist JackieVenson announces anew single, Make MeFeel, off her forthcomingstudio album VintageMachine. Venson’s lat-est project is due outSeptember 4, 2020.
Make Me Feelshowcases Venson’srange, both musicallyand vocally. There’s asexy, wailing guitar lacedthroughout while stillfeaturing heavy elec-tronics. At times, it’shard to make out if theneon squeals are comingfrom her six-string or herNovation MiniNova.
An accomplishedguitarist and talentedsinger to boot, Vensoncollaborates with someof the best instrumental-ists and artists, includingGary Clark, Jr., AloeBlacc, Curtis Harding,Earth Wind and Fire,Billie Eilish and manymore. Venson has distin-guished herself whileperforming at presti-gious festivals includingAustin City Limits, JohnColtrane InternationalJazz & Blues Festival,SXSW and the Open-AirBlues Festival. In 2019Venson amassed over700,000 Spotify streams
and nearly 2 millionYouTube views.
She released heralbum Joy and won BestGuitarist at the AustinMusic Awards—makingher the first AfricanAmerican woman to winthe award in the show’s37-year history. Vensonthen went on a massive4-month tour that tookher all the way from Aus-tria to Alaska and every-where in between.
She had two trackson Starbucks’ Coffee-house Playlist, she wasnamed #10 out of 50Young Exciting Guitaristson Guitar.com and
reached #13 on theBandsintown AustinEmerging Artists’ Chart.Her work, Joy, has re-ceived praise from notedpublications such asForbes, Guitar World,Guitar Player, Guitar GirlMagazine, AustinMonthly, Texas Monthly,AfroPunk, Grammy.com,EARMILK, NPR Music,She Shreds Magazine,and Vintage GuitarMagazine.
This year she headsout on an extensive UStour with dates soon tobe announced, and we’lljust say this: catch her ifyou can!
Jackie Venson performing for RSM, LLP inAustin, Texas. Photo by Naomi Richard.
Texas-Born, Texas-Bred
We Want YOU!Advertise With
TheVILLAGER
www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 ~ Page 3
Felix Bamirin, PastorGRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Experience Grace For LifeCall: 682.472.9073 l Email: [email protected] l
Visit: www.gracewaycca.org
JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758
SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.
New Lincoln Missionary Baptist Church2215 E. 8th St.,
Austin, TX 78702Going to Higher Heights,
Trusting God along the way.Sunday School 9:00am
BTU: 10:00amMorning Worship - 11:00 amChurch Phone (512) 477-2714
Cell Phont (512) 585-0744Email: [email protected]
www.newlincolnmbc.orgRev. Darron E. Patterson
Pastor
(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building,behind Wells Fargo)
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having beenjustified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
“This life, therefore, is notrighteousness, but growth in righteousness;not health, but healing; not being, butbecoming; not rest, but exercise. We are notyet what we shall be, but we are growingtoward it. The process is not yet finished,but it is going on. This is not the end, but itis the road. All does not yet gleam in glory,but all is being purified.” --- Martin Luther
Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St. Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751
Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am
Kenneth Hill,Pastor
Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium
5214 West Duval Road
Sunday School - 9:00 A.M.Worship Service - 10:00 A.M.
Power Hour Bible Life Group - 6:00 P.M.
Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval
Austin, Texas 78727
Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300
Rev. Dr. JacquelynDonald-Mims
Globalizing the Gospel
A Ministry That Ministers
Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor
OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH
DOUBLE
GROCERY“R”
450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out
Country Boyz Fixin’s4140 E. 12th Street, Austin, TX 78721
Featuring Fish, Poboys, Hot Wings, Pork Chops,Homemade Gumbo, Shrimp and Alligator
DINE IN ORORDER TO GO
Mon - Fri: 11 am - 8 p.m.Saturday: 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Closed SundayCall (512) 928-5555
DAVID CHAPEL Missionary Baptist ChurchSUNDAY
Christian Education 9:15a.m. | Worship 10:30 a.m.Nursery Available
WEDNESDAY |Worship 1st Wed. monthly 7:00p.m. | Bible Study 7:30p.m.
Dr. Joseph C.Parker, Jr.
Senior Pastor
2211 East Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.Austin, TX 78702
Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399Website: www.davidchapel.orgEmail: [email protected]“A Church with a Heart
for The Community”
Pastor J. R. Roberson& First lady
Lillian Robertson
BETHEL-ST. PAUL UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH877 W. Hempstead, Giddings, Texas 78942
Weekly ScheduleSunday School 9:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m.Wednesday Night Bible
Study 6:00p.m.(979) 542-2784 Church(979) 540-6352 Home
1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023
Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org
Do you have church news?Would you like to purchase
a monthly ad for yourchurch?
Inquire TODAY!Send your information to [email protected]
or call 512-476-0082
Hopewell Primitive Baptist Church690 TX-21 West, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
Sunday School9:30 a.m.
Morning Worship10:30 a.m.
Elder Carl E SheltonPastor Ph: (512) 626-3660
Hope thou in God -Psalm 42:11
WEBBERVILLEEBENEZER MISSIONARY
BAPTIST CHURCH
Give thanks to the Lord for heis good. -Psalms 136:1
Sunday Morning Worship11 AM
Sunday School 10 AM
1314 Weber St,Webberville, Tx 78653
(512) 276-7917
Pastor W. B. Routt, Jr.Cell # (512) 694-1877
Agape Baptist ChurchAgape Baptist ChurchAgape Baptist ChurchAgape Baptist ChurchAgape Baptist ChurchIn “THE CENTRE” Bldg. F-15
7801 North Lamar Blvd. (S.E. Corner of North Lamar and 183)Austin, Texas 78752
AGAPE: A church for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the LoveHe exhibited is Exemplified.” Come, received God’s Unconditional Love for you.
For there is No Greater Love!
H. Ed Calahan, Pastor
Church ServicesSun. School – 9:30a Sun. Worship – 11:00a
Mid-WeekThurs.: Praise, Prayer and Bible Study – 7:00PM
Call: 454-1547 for transportationWeb: www.agapebcaustintx.com
Pi Omega Zeta Chapter Inducts Its Newest Members
(Round Rock, TX) – Seven new mem-bers completed a historic milestone by be-coming members of the Pi Omega ZetaChapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorpo-rated during its centennial year. Picturedleft to right are: Megan Perry, Gertrude Effah,Gina Glasper, Yolanda Rayford, JessicaArbuthnot, Nekilah Paylor, and Coia Caldwell.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, cel-ebrating 100 years of service, is an interna-tional, historically black Greek-lettered so-
rority founded on the campus of Howard Uni-versity on January 16, 1920. Five womenfrom Howard University envisioned a soror-ity that would raise the consciousness of theirpeople, encourage the highest standards ofscholastic achievement, and foster a greatersense of unity among its members. The PiOmega Zeta Chapter, which operates manycommunity, cultural, and educational projectsin the Williamson County area, was foundedin 1998.
The Austin Chapter of The LinksCelebrates Platinum Members
(AUSTIN, TX) - The Austin Chapterof The Links honored its newest “Plati-num Members” for thirty years (30) ofstellar service to the Austin and sur-rounding communities. The platinumstatus is the highest honor bestowedupon the recommendation of the Aus-tin Chapter of The Links and approvalby the National Executive Council ofthe Links, Incorporated.
During a formal celebration, theAustin Chapter of the Links recognizedits platinum members for their meri-torious service to humanity. And, theircommitment, leadership, mentorshipand service to the sustainability andprogress of the organization were rec-ognized. A resolution was created foreach new member and read by a Linkmember chosen by the honoree. ASpecial gift was presented to each newplatinum member.
Five new platinum members joinedthe current ones; three were presentfor the ceremony. Currently, there are
ten (10) platinum members in the Aus-tin Chapter of the Links. The five newmembers are Etta Ferguson, MarianLaVon Marshall, Marjon King Christo-pher, Arthuree Quander and MargeryMackey. The Platinum Member Cer-emony, for the Austin Chapter of TheLinks, was developed by its President,Link Georgia Johnson when serving asVice-President for Membership.
Etta Ferguson, Marion LaVon Marshalland Marjon King Christopher
Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com
Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow
Canceled One Act Play UIL
Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.
Like everyone else,in the past week I havefound out that so manyof my plans have beencanceled due to thespread of the COVID-19disease. The FIRST (ForInspiration and Recogni-tion of Science and Tech-nology) Robotics compe-tition season was sup-posed to run for anothermonth, but on March12th, FIRST announcedthat all competitionswere canceled. Just likethat, my senior year ofrobotics was over, with-out time to emotionallyprepare myself. My teamstill planned to meet andperfect our robot forfun, but then the GirlScout Center where we
build the robot closed.Now we are working onsome remote projects toimprove the organiza-tion of our team for nextyear.
Colleges havealso canceled their pre-view weekends and re-cruitment events, whichwas another part of se-nior year I was reallylooking forward to. Theclass of 2020 has alreadylost our final year ofsports and school clubs,so I hope prom andgraduation don’t end upgetting canceled as well.Those events would beour last chance to cel-ebrate all of our accom-plishments and hardwork.
This whole situa-tion has felt so surreal.Thinking about how in-terconnected the worldis, something like thiswas bound to happen,but I wasn’t mentallyprepared for a pan-demic, and it seems likeno one else was, either.I hope that governmentsaround the world areable to learn from thisand prevent futurepandemics.
Kevin ParishHendrickson H. S.
Sarah RobertsonConnally H. S.On this past Thurs-
day March 12th theConnally high schoolhosted the District 17 5AOne Act Play Contest.One act play is wherehigh schoolers performin front of three judgesto showcase the playthat they have chosen.The play that my schoolchose was On The Vergea play about threewomen that travelthrough time learningabout the future andwhat it brings. This is mysecond OAP experienceand I’m glad that I got to
It’s Corna Time
C o r o n a v i r u s e s(CoV) are a large familyof viruses that cause ill-ness ranging from thecommon cold to moresevere diseases such asMiddle East RespiratorySyndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respi-ratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronavirus dis-ease (COVID-19) is a newstrain that was discov-ered in 2019 and has notbeen previously identi-fied in humans. Com-mon signs of infectioninclude respiratory
do this again. This timearound I had a lot of longhours in the theatre andmemories that will lastme a lifetime.
On contest day ev-ery school that we goagainst is anxious andhas the drive to comeout on top. Throughoutthe process of the OAPI’ve learned what it takesto become an even bet-ter actress and learnedthe behind the scenes ofone act plays, plus thehard work that comeswith them. On the day ofcompetition my wholecast was nervous andanxious of what the re-sults of our performancewas going to be. We per-formed really well butunfortunately, we fellshort and didn’t advanceto regionals which wehoped we would. Eventhough we fell short Ican’t wait to do betternext year and showpeople what theConnally cougar theatredepartment is all about.Go Cougars!
symptoms, fever, cough,shortness of breath andbreathing difficulties. Inmore severe cases, in-fection can cause pneu-monia, severe acute res-piratory syndrome, kid-ney failure and evendeath. Standard recom-mendations to preventinfection spread includeregular hand washing,covering mouth andnose when coughingand sneezing, thor-oughly cooking meatand eggs. Avoid closecontact with anyoneshowing symptoms ofrespiratory illness suchas coughing and sneez-ing. In the Austin-Traviscounty area there havebeen a total of 5 casesand of those five casesthey all have been travelrelated, so therefore tryto reduce the amount oftraveling you do and themost important thing.Stay Clean!
Kaitlyn CannonBluebonnet Trail Elem.
Spring Break andCoronavirus Outbreak
Spring Break
The World HealthOrganization and JohnHopkins Medicine de-fine Coronavirus as arespiratory illness thatcan spread from personto person. It is known tospread by upper respira-tory secretions. Expertsbelieve that an infectedanimal may have beenthe origin of this virus,such as live fish, animalsand birds in Wuhan,China. Bats are also apossible source, sincethey have evolved to co-exist with many viruses.This virus has spread toover one-hundred (100)countries in Asia, Eu-rope, North Americaand the Middle East.More than 100,000people have been in-fected, leading to a pan-demic.
Most of those in-fected with the virushave been in China,where most of thedeaths have occurred,as well. Now South Ko-rea, Iran and Italy arecoping with serious out-
breaks. Italy has im-posed restrictionsthroughout the country.The United States hasseen more than over4000 cases and eighty-seven (87) deaths cur-rently. Almost all of thestates in the UnitedStates have become in-fected by this spreadingvirus. The number of in-fections may be dou-bling every six (6) days,according to the Centersof Disease Control. Thevirus can infect both ani-mal and people. Allpeople are strongly ad-vised to wash hands andsanitize hands. Childrenseem to be less likely tobe infected.
Due to rapidspread of this virus inmany countries, com-munities, hospitals arein need of sufficientmedical equipment andvaccines. To preventcontinuous spreading ofthe virus, there are ma-jor closures of nationaland local events, sev-enty-two (72) thousandschools across the na-tion are closing, librar-ies, jobs, many events,movies postponed. Thisis a viral pandemic dis-ease. No more than fifty(50) people gathering,for as long as eight (8)weeks.
My Spring Breakhas started. It appears Iwill stay inside, read,work on art, hang out onthe porch, practice mypraise dance, and hope-fully visit with family andfriends by phone mainly.
SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards
Rebekah McNealRound Rock H. S.
I’m finally off fromschool and onto ‘ex-tended’ Spring Break. Ididn’t have any plans,not that I can do verymuch for obvious rea-sons.
In the meantime, I
have a few assignmentsto finish up from school.I think I’ll portion out mywork, day by day, insteadof trying to finish it all inone sitting. Plus I have allthe time in the world towork on my hobbies.
Maybe I’ll text myfrench friends to seehow they’re doing? Orstart learning some dif-ferent languages? Icould start drawingmore often, learn acouple of solo songs forfun, or even start somenew sewing projects?
I don’t know. Fornow, I’ll just take precau-tions and ride whateverwave that time takes us.
Coronavirus and COVID-19
Although many ofyou may be weary ofhearing about thecoronavirus, it is impor-tant to hear it oncemore. Coronaviruses area type of virus. There avarious types ofcoronaviruses, and somecan cause disease. A newcoronavirus was firstidentified in China, De-cember 2019. It has re-sulted in a respiratory ill-ness that the WorldHealth Organization re-fers to as COVID-19, as ofFebruary 2020. COVID-19 has been detected inpeople from China aswell as from over 100other countries, includ-ing the United States.The spread of the newvirus is being monitoredby multiple organiza-tions, and as of January30, the World Health Or-ganization proclaimedthe COVID-19 outbreak apublic health emergency.When determining howthe virus first spread, itis difficult as health offi-cials still do not know theexact source. There areearly hypotheses that
link the source to a sea-food market in Wuhan,China. Later, a study de-veloped about an indi-vidual with the first re-ported case, portrayedno linkage the the sea-food market. Health of-ficials are still studyingand searching for thesource. As we allow thehealth officials to dotheir job, we must doours as well. Symptomsfor COVID-19 includecoughing, fever, andshortness of breath. Ifany of the flu-like symp-toms appear you shouldreach out to your doctorand update them on anytravel, contact, or pos-sible exposure.
Symptoms tend toappear in people within14 days of exposure.There is no current vac-cine, but caution andprevention techniquescan be used. Preventioninvolves, frequent handwashing, coughing andsneezing into the elbow,wiping and disinfectingthe home, and stayinghome when feeling sick.Sometimes it is easy tojoke about things thatwe do not have, but it isimportant to take intoconsideration the peoplewho have been effectedand their families. It isimportant to not take ad-vantage of days off, or nocontact measures in thewrong way, but rather begrateful that the yoursafety is of concern andplaced under consider-ation. Continue to besafe, cautious, and clean.
Austin ISD to Distribute MealsDuring School Cancellations
Curbside lunch meals will be provided for eachchild in the car. The meals will be packaged togetherand provided today March 13 as well as Monday-Fri-day starting March 23 if schools continue to be closed.Children must be present to receive a meal package.Meals are not available for adults.
Curbside meal sites, open from 12 to 1:30 p.m,are listed below. Sites were chosen based on 50 per-cent or more students receiving meal benefits.
Dobie Middle SchoolCook Elementary SchoolBurnet MIddle SchoolLBJ Early College High SchoolGovalle Elementary SchoolT.A. Brown Elementary SchoolEastside Memorial Early College High SchoolDawson Elementary SchoolLinder Elementary SchoolCrockett Early College High SchoolPleasant Hill Elementary SchoolHouston Elementary SchoolAkins Early College High SchoolPerez Elementary School
www.theaustinvillager.com THE REVEALER THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 ~ Page 5
DELTA BETA CHAPTER XINOS AND KUDOSLEAD AT REGIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE
AUSTIN, TX - The Xinos and Kudos of theDelta Beta Chapter (Austin, Texas) of the Na-tional Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (NSPDK,Inc.) demonstrated leadership and focus dur-ing their recent regional youth conference. TheXinos (girls) and Kudos (boys) are in grades 9th
thru 12th. NSPDK, Inc. is a professional non-profit organization of active and retired femaleeducators committed to the pursuit of excel-lence in education as they mentor, tutor andsupport the youth of the United States ofAmerica. NSPDK, Inc. encourages the develop-ment and potential of our youth while provid-ing a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive en-vironment for our Xinos and Kudos.
Hosted by the Delta Epsilon Chapter Xinosand Kudos of Dallas, Texas, the 47th Xinos and37th Kudos Southwest Regional Conference washeld February 28 – March 1, 2020 at the OmniMandalay Hotel at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas.Approximately 300 students from four states,under the guidance and supervision of mem-ber sponsors and HUB parent chaperones, par-ticipated in general sessions, developmentworkshops, and competitions in academic ex-cellence, informative speaking, music, art,dance, volleyball, basketball and presentationof activity books.
National President Dr. Etta F. Carter states,“The theme for this conference: “20/20 Vision:
The Future in Focus” is one that encourages youthto march into this new decade with clear vision.They are encouraged to remember not to be de-ceived by the glitz and glamour of untruths. Ad-ditionally, they are encouraged to practice usingtheir God-given talents and resources to discernsituations, not being hasty in decision-making, buttaking time to FOCUS on making the best deci-sions.”
Southwest Regional Director Anita O’Neal(Gamma Tau Chapter, San Antonio, Texas) states,“This year we are trying to instill in the mind ofall of our youth to enhance their leadership skillsas they develop through life. Value each sessionthat you attend and always remember at least onekey fact from each session. The Southwest Regionwill emerge, enhance and embrace youth, edu-cation and service.”
Delta Beta Chapter (Austin, Texas) Xinosearned the following recognitions: KennediCarter—Academic Excellence; Moniscia Blaylarkand Kaylen Owens—Volleyball—1st Place; XinosActivity Book—2nd Place; Xinos Step Show—2nd
Place; Most Xinos in Attendance; and Best DressedXinos (new category).
Delta Beta Chapter Kudos earned the follow-ing recognitions: Sam Hill and Juanel Sippio—Aca-demic Excellence; Artist Tyson—InformativeSpeaking—2nd Place; Jonathan Porter—Music—3rd Place; Jamal Hardin—Basketball—2nd Place;
and Barrington Miles—Basketball—3rd Place.Special recognition goes to Regional Ambas-
sadors Simone Sears, Jamir Scott, Erica Shepardand Moriah Leonard; Regional Choir participantsSam Hill, Moriah Leonard and Erica Shepard; BlackHistory Bowl participants Jaylin Scott, Jamir Scott,Juanel Sippio and Artist Tyson; and the newlyelected Regional Officers—Erica Shepard—XinosVice President; Moriah Leonard—Xinos Chaplain;and Artist Tyson—Kudos President.
Heartfelt gratitude and appreciation is ex-tended to the Xinos Sponsor, Dorcas Seals; KudosSponsor, Brenda Kay Fowler; Delta Beta membersand HUB parents for their untiring support of ouryouth throughout the school year, and for pre-paring our youth for their regional conference.Special “thank you” to member Bobbie Bolen forserving as Xinos Sponsor at the Youth Conferencein the absence of Dorcas Seals who had a familyemergency during this time.
Delta Beta Chapter Xinos and Kudos—youare our future global scholars and leaders des-tined for greatness!! As you move forward in thisnew decade, may your vision be God-inspired,laser-focused, and may you carry out a legacy ofexcellence in your future endeavors.
For information about membership intoNSPDK, Inc. and its affiliate groups, please con-tact Delta Beta Chapter President Estelle Brooksat (512) 940-6741 or email [email protected].
Delta Beta Xinos 2019-2020Starting at the bottom, going left to right,1st Row: Audrianna Fowler,
Maya Crawford, Kaylen Owens, Taliyah Williams; 2nd Row: Taniyah Her-ring, Trinity Davis, Kennedi Carter; 3rd Row: Jayda Adams, Erica Shepard,Hannah Austin, Jaylin Scott; 4th Row: Simone Sears, Nyana Bonner,Gasheaya Youman (President), Moriah Leonard, Moniscia Blaylark; NotPictured: Marnique Nellie.
Delta Beta Kudos 2019-2020Left to Right - Squatting: Jonathan Porter, Jamal Hardin, Jamir Scott
(President) Standing: Juanel Sippio, Sam Hill, Barrington Miles, ArtistTyson, Rico Fresch II
Parents’ Guide to Getting Kids Through This Extended Spring BreakDEFENDER NEWS
NETWORK - As districtsaround the state andacross the country con-tinue to grapple withhow to proceed in thisunprecedented chal-lenge to public healthand education, the Hous-ton Independent SchoolDistrict supports thenation’s need to flattenthe curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As such, HISD willextend its districtwide clo-sure through Friday, April10. All schools and officesare scheduled to reopenon Monday, April 13.
District administra-tion will re-evaluate onMonday, April 6, to de-termine whether alonger closure beyondApril 10 will be neces-sary. The district also willprovide more informa-tion about online learn-ing and alternative edu-cation later this week.
With schools anduniversities across Texasextending breaks ormaking students takeonline classes after the
break, kids will be athome longer than par-ents expected.
Below are sometips from experts andfrom people whohomeschool their kids orwork remotely on a regu-lar basis to help parentsget through this time ofsocial distancing.
What are some ac-tivities we can do duringand after the break?
Here are 10 simpleand fun activities you cando with items foundaround the house, rec-ommended by momblogger Laura M. fromHouston Moms Blog:
Painters tape road-way. Kill an easy hour ortwo by grabbing somepainters tape and creat-ing a roadway. You cancart out boxes to act asattached garages, con-struction site playsets forthe roads to wind around,and occasionally even atoy farmhouse for thetrucks to visit on theirroutes. Don’t have anypainters tape? No prob-lem. A similar effect can
be achieved with string orstrips of construction pa-per. Just get inventive andhave some fun!
Nature scavengerhunts. Feeling coopedup? Head outside andget your kids involved ina scavenger huntthrough nature. Compilea list of items for them tolook for like an acorn, alarge green leaf, a yellowflower or a funny shapedtwig and have your kidstake turns checking themoff. Don’t feel like com-ing up with a list on yourown? Ask them to lookfor one item in every
color of the rainbow. Thisnot only adds an extrachallenge but helps littleones work on their colorrecognition as well. Anddon’t forget to bring abasket to collect all theirtreasures in!
Bowling withblocks. Find your tod-dlers and preschoolersare getting a little woundup and on the verge ofdestroying your house?Have them channel thatenergy into destroyingblock towers instead.Step 1 – round up alltheir building blocks andhelp them construct a
few towers of varyingheights and shapes. Step2 – give them a ball andlet them go crazy tryingto knock them over.Guaranteed shrieks ofjoy and hilarity. Addedbonus, they can pass agood chunk of time re-building the towers indifferent configurations.Don’t worry if you don’thave any wooden blockslaying around. Simplyuse plastic cups,Tupperware or emptysnack containers instead.
A-B-C search. Onefun game that bothkeeps kids occupied and
counts as an educationalactivity for those momsmissing the benefits ofpreschool, is an alphabetsearch around the house.Go through each letter ofthe alphabet one by oneand have the kids try tofind an object correspond-ing with that letter.
Obstacle course.When my kids start try-ing to wrestle with oneanother and nearly takeout my favorite planters,I know it’s time to do ahigh energy activity toget out their excess en-ergy. That’s when I goaround the house col-lecting empty laundrybaskets, hula hoops,couch cushions, poolnoodles, play tunnels,chairs and anything elsethat looks interesting tocreate an obstaclecourse. Challenge yourkids to jump from oneitem to the other, crawlunder tables, and followthe course from oneroom to another. It getsthe wiggles out andmakes for a fun after-noon of family frivolity.
Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com
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RunoffRaces
VILLAGER NEWS -Last week's primary sawa record amount of Cen-tral Texans went to thepolls. According to theTravis County Clerk, thisprimary cycle saw one ofthe highest turnouts. Innumerous races, therewere clear winners, in-cluding the TravisCounty Constable Pre-cinct 1.
However, the TravisCounty District Attorneywill have a runoff elec-tion. In the Travis CountyDistrict Attorney race,
Jose Garza received themajority votes; but hefailed to get 50.1. Theincumbent managed tosurvive a difficult politi-cal landscape. More-over, it seems that TravisCounty voters desire tohave a more progressiveDistrict Attorney.
Finally, the CountyCourt at Law #4 is alsoheaded for a runoff.Moreover, Judge Dimpleand Margaret ChenKercher will challengeone another. If elected,Travis County will get itsfirst elected Asian-American woman to thecourts. Despite makinghistory, both candidatesseek to decrease theworkload of the CountyCourt at Law docket,which includes domesticabuse cases.
Judge Dimple and Ora Houston.Photos by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
Mindfey and Magaret chen Kercher.Photos by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGERColumnist
TravisCountyJudgeRace
VILLAGER NEWS -As the current TravisCounty Judge, SarahEckhardt resigns, nu-merous individuals haveannounced their inten-tion to run for this posi-
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon
VILLAGERColumnist
tion. Andy Brown, formerTravis County Party Chair;Travis County Commis-sioner Jeff Travallion; andTravis County Demo-cratic party chair DyanaLimon-Mercado have allannounced their candi-dacy.
These candidatesbackground brings dif-ferent outlooks to thispost. Brown and Limon-Mercado have run on aCounty-wide ballot,therefore, have estab-lished contacts through-out the county. On theother hand, Commis-sioner Travallion has runonly on a precinct level,which covers North-East
and East parts of TravisCounty.
Finally, the CountyJudge serves as the pre-
siding officer for Com-missioners Court meet-
ings and ceremonialhead of Travis Countygovernment. The fourprecinct Commissionerstraditionally representtheir constituents on allprecinct-specific issuesbefore the Court. Therole of the Court's majorduties includes the fol-lowing: Setting the taxrate and adopting acounty budget, assiststhe other elected or ap-pointed officials at TravisCounty to carry out theirstatutory duties, buildsand maintains Countyroads and bridges, andDevelops and maintainsopen space for publicusage.
Sara
h Ec
khar
dt
TexasSenateDistrict14 Heats
Upby Tsoke
(Chuch) AdjavonVILLAGERColumnist
Eddie Rodriguez
VILLAGER NEWS -Recently, Texas SenatorWatson announced hewill be retiring from theTexas Senate, causing apolitical earthquakethroughout CentralTexas. As a result, nu-merous elected officials
and concerned citizenshave entertained thethought to run for office.
The Travis County
Judge Sarah Eckhardtand Texas House of Rep-resentatives EddieRodriguez announced
their intentions to runfor Texas Senate District14. Judge Eckhardtworked for eight years asan Assistant TravisCounty Attorney. In2006, she was elected torepresent Precinct 2 onthe CommissionersCourt and re-elected in2010. According toJudge Eckhardt, "withdeep roots in Austin andTravis County, I havededicated life in publicservice to improving ac-cess to opportunity forTravis County familiesfor twenty years."
Finally, Representa-tive Rodriguez repre-sents District 51, whichcovers South-East TravisCounty. Rep. Rodriguezwas first elected in 2002.In November 2018, he
was re-elected to hisninth term in office. Rep.Rodriguez also served onthe House Committees
on Calendars, State Af-fairs, and Ways andMeans in the most re-cent Legislative Session.
Voters Head to Primary Polls Despite Coronavirus PandemicDEFENDER NEWS
SERVICE - Voters in threestates will head to thepolls on Tuesday amid acoronavirus health crisisthat has led other statesto postpone their elec-tions.
The Centers for Dis-ease Control and Preven-tion (CDC) issued guid-ance this weekend sayingthat people should avoidgatherings of 50 peopleor more, raising ques-tions about the safety ofopening polling places,where hundreds willgather indoors and standin line to cast ballots.
DeWine, a Republi-can, said couldn’t justifyholding the election be-cause it would not con-form to CDC guidelines.
Biden and Sanders
have differed on whetherthe Tuesday electionsshould go forward asplanned. Many on the leftare agitating for the elec-tions to be delayed, andSanders echoed their con-cerns in an interview withAnderson Cooper follow-ing Sunday night’s debate.
The Biden cam-paign, however, struck adifferent tone, sayingthat the state leadersknow best and wouldhave postponed the elec-tions if they representeda public health threat.
Biden’s statementwas criticized by some,who noted that eventhose who are not show-ing symptoms can spreadthe virus and that every-one is at risk of exposure.
Election officials
have been sanitizing poll-ing places and movingthe locations outside ofnursing homes. They’vebeen encouraging peopleto vote early or to mail inballots ahead of time, orto arrive at off-peakhours to avoid long linesor big crowds.
President Trumpsaid that he didn’t be-lieve postponing theelections is necessary.
Biden leads Sandersby about 140 delegates.That lead is expected togrow substantially onTuesday if the elections inFlorida and other statesfits with the polls.
The latest NBCNews-Wall Street Journalnational poll found Bidenopening up a 29-pointlead over Sanders.
Jeff
Trav
allio
n
EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS
www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 ~ Page 7
Are you interested in doingbusiness with the City of Austin?
We are here for you!City of Austin
Purchasing OfficeVendor Registration
www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasingFor information on the City of Austin’s Minority/
Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600or visit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
ASPLUNDH TREE EXPERT, LLCNAME OF PROJECT: Distrib ution Line Clearance Stre et and
Nightwatc hman LightsBID SOLICITATION: RFP 1100 EAL3011
Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC . is soliciting M inority and Women Owned Business Enterpriseparticipat ion for the abo ve mentionedCity of Austin contract.This project includes the following scopes of work:
COMMODITY CODEWeed Killers (Herbicide), Liquid 67590
Hauling Services 96239Tire and Tube Repair Items
and Vulcanizers 06087Automotive Shop Equipment
and Supplies 7500Ice 39035
Fuel Oil, Diesel 40509Alchohol and Drug Testing Services 95207
(Term of this project shall be in ef fect for an initial term of twen ty four (24) mo nths andmay be extend ed therea fter for up to thr ee
(3) additional twelve (12 month periods)Please contact our office f or detailed information on the scopes o f service to be subco
ntracted and the relev ant terms and conditions of thiscontract.
Contact: David Robinson or Laura Rodriguez at (361) 289-0052 or via [email protected]
All Responses MUST b e received no later t han Mond ay, March 23, 2 020 4 :00 pm
NOTICE TO ALL PERSONSHAVING CLAIMS AGAINSTTHE ESTATE OF SAMUELMILTON LOTT, DECEASED.NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENthat original LettersTestamentary for the Estate ofSamuel Milton Lott, Deceased,were issued on August 27, 2019,in Cause No. C1-PB-17-002082,pending in the Probate Court No.1 of Travis County, Texas, to EllaL. Moore. Claims may bepresented in care of the attorneysfor the Estate addressed asfollows: Estate of Samuel MiltonLott, Deceased, c/o Leonard W.Woods, of the law firm DugginsWren Mann & Romero, LLP,P.O. Box 1149, Austin, TX78767-1149. All persons havingclaims against this Estate arerequired to present them withinthe time and in the mannerprescribed by law.
N O T I C E OF COMPETITIVE SEALED PROPOSALSfor
District Athletics RenovationsIn
Pflugerville ISDPflugerville ISD will accept Competitive Sealed Proposals from qualifiedconstruction firms until 2:00 p.m., April 02, 2020, in the lobby of the PISDAdministration Building. Address all submittals to:
Craig Pruett, Director of PurchasingPflugerville Independent School District
1401 West PecanPflugerville, Texas 78660
The anticipated budget for this project is estimated at $4,700,000. The scopeand schedule for this project as currently defined is described in the ProposalDocument.Proposal documents may be obtained by contacting the Pflugerville ISDPurchasing Department by email at [email protected]. Documents
can also be downloaded from the district website at: http://www.pfisd.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=259
Pflugerville I.S.D. reserves the right to waive any formalities and toreject any or all Proposals.
Project Schedule of Events„ Request for Proposals Released March 13, 2020
„ Pre-proposal Conference March 23, 2020, 9:00 a.m.
„ Due Date for Proposals April 02, 2020, 2:00 p.m.
„ Board Approval Expected April 16, 2020
„ Notify Firm April 17, 2020
„ Begin Construction May 04, 2020
But here’s the realreason for my vitriol.Trump is a straight-upliar. He lies to my Ameri-can people - my nationalbrethren, of whom I loveand adore - with no re-morse whatsoever. He isthe epitome of selfish-ness, irresponsibility,and sloth.
Let me be specific.I’ve watched Trumpfrom the beginning ofthis Coronavirus pan-demic. However, overthe last several days,starting Sunday, Trumphas made the same bo-gus and erroneous claimduring his recently dailypublic addresses of up-dates on the federal re-sponse to this virus.
Trump says he was“bold” in imposing atravel ban from Chinawhen everyone told himnot to do it. I don’t knowwho “everyone” is, butthat’s classic Trump. Healso states that if itwasn’t for him being so“bold” that this out-break would have beenmuch worse; and howhe single-handedlysaved countless lives. I’m
The Truth is, Trump didnothing but downplay this
disaster from the beginningContinued from page 1
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, speaks as Ebola coordinatorRon Klain (center) listens during a news conference in the RooseveltRoom of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov.18, 2014. (Drew Angerer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
surprised he hasn’t bro-ken his neck slappinghimself on the back.
Speaking of back,travel back with me overa month ago; well afterthe virus first hit the na-tional spotlight.
On January, 31,2020, Health and Hu-man Services SecretaryAlex Azar declared apublic health emergencyfor the Coronavirus.Azar announced a travel“restriction” from Chinaeffective February 2,2020. Later, Trump ex-panded the travel “re-striction” to Iran. It isimportant to note thatthese “restrictions” arethe actions that Trumpclaims were “bans”which saved this countryfrom the worldwide epi-demic.
Forward time amonth ahead. During aMarch 5, 2020, interviewwith Fox News’ SeanHannity, Trump said he,“closed down the bor-ders to China and toother areas that are verybadly affected.” SeanHannity did not correctTrump on this state-
ment. In fact, Hannity al-lowed Trump to continu-ally lie to the Americanpeople. Or more specifi-cally, his base.
Here’s the truth.There was no ban
from China, Iran or anyother “very badly af-fected” area. It was atravel restriction prohib-iting “non-U.S. citizens,other than the immedi-ate family of U.S. citi-zens and permanentresidents”, who traveledto China within the lasttwo weeks from enter-ing American borders.
Let that sink in fora minute or two. Read itover and over again tolet it resonate through-out your frontal lobe.
Now imagine dur-ing early January 2020,you traveled to-and-throughout China. Andduring one of your manyadventures while tour-ing that beautiful coun-try, you contracted thisdeadly virus. Let’s sayyou were still infected bylate January while nowvacationing in Iran. Sud-denly, you hear that theborders to your country,
the U.S., are closing dueto the outbreak of thisvirus, of which, you nowhave. You want to gethome. Luckily, the bor-ders are not closed toyou because you are im-mediately related to apermanent resident. Youcatch a flight, touchdown, and you’re backhome again. Comfy?
Well guess what?You didn’t leave thecoronavirus abroad. Notonly did you not leave itoverseas, but youboarded an airplane fullof people with a danger-ous, deadly, and conta-gious disease, that iseasily transmitted fromone person to anotherwithout even the slight-est touch.
In other words, thecoronavirus could havewalked across the oceanwith more resistancethan what Trump claimshe put up. Anybody trav-eling from China or Irancould have, and morethan likely did, bring thatvirus over here. Trumpdid nothing to prevent it.His boast of such a thingis downright criminal.
Furthermore, letme drop this fact on ya!Have you ever heard ofRon Klain? If youhaven’t, that’s okay…fornow…but look him upafter reading this. Klainwas the White HouseEbola response coordi-nator under presidentObama’s administration.In debunking Trump’stravel “ban” claim, Klainstated, “We don’t have atravel ban. We have atravel Band-Aid”, duringa February 5, 2020,House subcommitteehearing about thecoronavirus. Moreover,Klain said, “before[Trump’s restriction] wasimposed, 300,000people came here from
China in the previousmonth. So, the horse isout of the barn.”
Let it resonate.Let…It…Res-O-Nate!
The first case ofCOVID-19 was recordedin November 2019 inChina. The so-calledtravel “ban” was Febru-ary 2020. Additionally,that “ban” didn’t pre-vent anything. It onlyprevented Chinese andIranian nationals whodidn’t have the need,nor maybe even themeans, to come to theU.S. in the first place. So,what “lives were saved”is Trump boasting aboutduring every single oneof these press confer-ences?
Remember; during
this same time period,Trump was callingCOVID-19 the Flu. OnJan. 30, 2020, referringto the coronavirus,Trump said at a Michiganrally, “We have it verywell under control. Wehave very little problemin this country. At thismoment — FIVE! Andthose people are all re-cuperating successfully.”
Despite his flawed“it’s going to disappear”and “anyone who wantsa test can get one”claims, Trump has nevertaken the responsibilityof a leader. In fact, he hasgiven himself and hisadministration a “10” fortheir handling of COVID-19. What say you? Doyou give him a “10”, too?
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Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/March 20, 2020 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com
O’Brien’s failures highlight need for more Black GMs
(VILLAGER) - Hous-ton Texas coach/generalmanager Bill O’Brien justmade the case for moreblack executives in theNFL that much stronger.
O’Brien, who hasbeen given uncheckedpower by ownership tocoach the Texans as wellas making all the tradesand free agent signings,finally went too far onMonday when he tradedsuperstar receiverDeAndre Hopkins to theArizona Cardinals for in-jury-prone running backDavid Johnson and theequivalent of a handfulof beads, trinkets, andsome belly-button lint.
Maybe O’Brien hassome secret informationabout Hopkins, who has315 receptions and 31touchdowns over thepast three seasons, thatled to him making theone-sided trade. To hearsome tell it, Hopkins is
the best receiver in theNFL. Other believeHopkins and O’Brienbutted heads overHopkins’ desire for acontract extension withthree years remainingon his current deal.
So what? Playersalways want moremoney. Besides, Hopkinswasn’t holding out. Su-perstar receiver JulioJones of the Atlanta Fal-cons has held out plentyof times while undercontract, and the Fal-cons relented and gavehim a new deal everytime. They certainlydidn’t get lost in theirfeelings like O’Brien did,hold a grudge, and tradeone of the team’s mostvaluable assets.
That’s precisely whyyou don’t promote acoach, especially one likeO’Brien who has no front-office experience, to gen-eral manager. You need abusiness person runningthe front office, not somecoach who obviouslycan’t control his emotionswhen it comes to busi-ness matters and is likelyto fly off the handle at anytime.
Coaches don’t seethe big picture. They onlysee what’s directly in frontof them. O’Brien consid-ered Hopkins to be a
problem, so he tradedhim. A real general man-ager, not a play one likeO’Brien, if he indeed de-cided it was in the Texansbest interests to trade oneof the best receivers in theNFL, would hold out untilhe received a first-rounddraft pick in return(Hopkins netted the Tex-ans a second-round pickand Johnson).
Going back to mycolumn lead. What hasO’Brien ever done to jus-tify adding the generalmanager title to his re-sume when he has abso-lutely no prior front-of-
By John Harris Jr.VILLAGER Sports
Columnist
Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press
DeA
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fice experience? And forthat matter, why can’tmore black coaches getgeneral manager jobs?There are currently twoblack general managersin a league in whichmore than half of itsplayers are black.
During the recentNFL combine in India-napolis, high-rankingleague officials andmembers of the FritzPollard Alliance (namedafter the first blackcoach in the NFL) dis-cussed the need formore inclusive hiringwith nothing being de-
termined other than ac-knowledging there’s aproblem.
More meetings,more rhetoric.
I say point to BillO’Brien as Exhibit A as towhy there should bemore black general man-agers in the NFL and leaveit at that.
O’Brien has been acolossal failure as a gen-eral manager.
It would be onething if O’Brien proved heknew what he was doingas general manager. Re-member, O’Brien has nowtraded Hopkins and de-
fensive end JadaveonClowney (who alsowanted more money)without receiving a first-round pick in return.That’s blasphemous.
As a coach, O’Brienis 52-44 with four play-off appearances in sixseasons competing inthe mediocre AFC South.In this year’s divisionalplayoff round, O’Brien’sTexans led the KansasCity Chiefs 24-0 butsomehow lost 51-31.
Certainly, a blackgeneral manager coulddo better. He definitelycouldn’t do any worse.
DeA
ndre
HO
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The Austin Metroplex Chapter of NationalWomen of Achievement, Inc. will induct 11 honor-ees for the Sixteenth Biennial African- AmericanWomen’s Profiles of Prominence 2020 ceremony.This year’s program will now be held on Saturday,May 9, 2020 at St. James Missionary BaptistChurch, 3417 East Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,Austin, Texas at 6 p.m.
The 11 new members of the 2020 African-American Women’s Profiles of Prominence are:
Arts: Thais Bass-Moore – published author anddirector of the Fearless Leader Institute at The Uni-versity of Texas at Austin.
Business: Christie Hall – a top producing realestate agent for Keller Williams Realty and leadagent for the Holmes with Hall Team.
Foreman-Jones Caregiver Award: Lydia A.West-Moore – community home health care pro-vider volunteer and companion for the elderly andretired educator.
Civic Leadership: Brigid Roberson – a girlpower advocate, supporter, and volunteer with civicand community-related organizations and theFounder/Chief Executive Officer of theBridge2Greatness Foundation, Inc., which providesleadership skills and empowerment for underservedgirls.
Communications: Naomi Richard – entertain-ment journalist and photographer and the ownerof White Glove Photos© and Red-Carpet View(Blog).
Education: Dr. Norma J. Baker- retired educa-tion administrator, educational consultant, andmember of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Health Professionals: Dr. Aisha White- plasticsurgeon and owner of Quintessence Plastic Surgery.
Law: Amanda Moore – staff attorney for theTexas State Teachers Association and board mem-ber with the Writers’ League of Texas.
Professional Leadership: Cierra King – ISV Part-ner and Account Manager for Oracle Corporation
Youth Achievement: Sarah R. Robertson - ajunior at John B. Connally High School who servesas a veteran reporter and chair for the Youth Bri-gade with The Villager Newspaper.
Lifetime Achievement: Eleanor Davis Thomp-son, long time political strategist and senior plan-ner for Travis County – Precinct One for The Justiceof the Peace Office.
The revised date of May 9 is in compli-ance with the City of Austin’s COVID-19Regulations on Small Gatherings.
2020 PROFILES OFPROMINENCE POSTPONED
By Arlene L. Youngblood
(REUTERS) - As the coronavirus threatens topush the global economy into recession, the Trumpadministration is rolling out an unusual idea: hand-ing out free money.
President Donald Trump and Treasury Secre-tary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday proposed mailingout checks of up to $1,000 to American adults toquickly pump hundreds of billions of dollars into theU.S. economy at a time when airlines are slashingflights and officials are shuttering restaurants, sportsarenas and other public venues.
Though details remained unclear, Washingtoncould turn to the playbook it deployed in February2008, when the Great Recession was just takinghold. The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 providedpayments averaging $600 per person, injectingmore than $100 billion into the economy within amatter of months.
The payments were directly deposited intobank accounts by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service(IRS) to taxpayers who filed their taxes electroni-cally or came as paper checks to other taxpayers.Individuals who didn’t make enough to pay federaltaxes still had to file an IRS statement that year toget a payment.
Economists concluded that it was one of themost effective measures deployed to blunt the im-pact of the worst downturn since the 1930s.
Any such program would need Congressionalapproval. Support in both the Republican andDemocratic parties has been building.
Advocates say it would have a more immedi-ate effect than other proposals, such as a payrolltax cut, because the government could get moneyinto peoples’ hands within a matter of months andthose dollars would quickly circulate back into theeconomy.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney and Demo-cratic Senator Sherrod Brown advocated for $1,000
payouts on Monday, while Democratic Senator KamalaHarris called for “emergency cash” for families.
Some economists say most U.S. householdshave little, if any savings, and the money could beused to cover rent or other bills if they lose work,or go toward necessities such as groceries, circulat-ing back into the economy.
It might be too soon to consider direct pay-ments, as it is not yet clear how the coronaviruswill affect the economy, some economists say. Whileairlines and restaurants are likely to be hard hit,Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) announced on Mondaythat it plans to hire 100,000 workers to deal with asurge of home delivery orders, and it could takemonths for the Federal Reserve’s aggressive mon-etary response to have an impact.
Like other stimulus efforts, free money wouldnot come cheap.
In 2008, the IRS mailed out more than 132million payments between May and July to house-holds that had filed tax returns for the previous year.
That cost the U.S. government $106 billion inlost tax revenue and increased payments, accord-ing to the Congressional Budget Office.
But economists also found the tax refundswere among the most effective measures thatWashington deployed to blunt the recession.Moody’s Analytics estimated that each dollar spentresulted in $1.55 to $1.71 in economic activity.
If Congress approves the $1,000 checks thatTrump suggested, that would lead to a much biggerprice tag at a time when Washington is already run-ning up near-record budget deficits.
But even that may not be enough. JayShambaugh, an economist with the BrookingsInstitution’s Hamilton Project, said lawmakersshould also quickly increase food-stamp paymentsto low income recipients and enact a payroll tax cutfor businesses to minimize layoffs.
The White House wants to give you$1,000. Here’s how it could work
by Andy Sullivan | REUTERS