Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas has been charged with felony gun possession, the Washington Post reported on Jan 14. The 28-year-old native of Los Angeles, Calif. was counted for carrying a pistol without a liscence outside of his home or business, a charge that carries a maximum 5-year prison sentence. The U.S Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia […]
Category: NEWS
NACCP to Host Panel on Childhood Obesity
The Baltimore City Branch of the NAACP recently declared childhood obesity a “state of emergency,” and will hold a community information meeting and panel discussion on childhood obesity on Jan. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Union Baptist Church in Baltimore. The branch recently submitted a request to Congressman Elijah Cummings seeking his attendance […]
Ex-NBA Star Pleads Guilty
Former NBA star Jayson Williams pleaded guilty on Jan. 11 for accidentally shooting his limousine driver to death in 2002. The Associated Press, Williams was waiting for a retrial on a reckless manslaughter charge but decided to plead guilty to the lesser aggravated assault charge for the death of Costas Christofi. Williams will now serve […]
African Immigrants Revolt in Italy
According to a New York Times report, more than 1,000 African workers in Calabria, a southern Italian region, were shipped away to detention centers for immigrants after a series of riots. The uproar began last week in Rosarno, Italy, after an immigrant from Togo was slightly injured during a pellet gun attack in a neighboring […]
Teddy Pendergrass Dead at 59
Legendary R&B singer and songwriter, Teddy Pendergrass died Jan. 13, at the Bryn Mawr Hospital in Philadelphia reports the Associated Press. He was 59. His son, Teddy Pendergrass II told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his father underwent colon surgery eight months ago and was going through a “difficult recovery”, but that his father would “live […]
Parking, Surcharges Increase in District
Effective this week, there will be no more “free on Saturdays” when it comes to the city’s parking meters. And, except for Sundays, everybody—including downtown Washington residents —will have to ante up the extra $1.25 hourly fee in the city’s premium zones, while rates for standard zones will remain at 75 cents an hour. According […]
‘Beating’ the Conflict in Darfur
After months of relative silence, the issue of violence in Darfur, Sudan, rose to the fore Jan. 9 when thousands of individuals in 15 countries across the world gathered for Sudan365: A Beat for Peace, a series of coordinated ceremonies aimed at urging governments of the world to halt violence in the region.? “Urgency is […]
U.S. Haitians Look on in Despair
Haitians in the United States—along with the rest of the world—are looking on with horror at the aftermath of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that has left mountains of rubble and hundreds of thousands dead in the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The quake, the largest to hit Haiti in 200 years, struck some 10 miles south of […]
Haiti Rocked by 7.0 Quake
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck just 10 miles outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at about 5 p.m., Jan. 12, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Observers reported dead bodies in the streets and severe damage in the city of more than 2 million persons who live in tightly packed houses perched on steep hillsides. While there isn’t […]
New York Mourns Percy Sutton
Despite the bitter cold weather, mourners waited outside the Riverside Church in Manhattan, along the funeral route and at the Apollo Theater to pay their last respects to Percy Sutton on Jan. 6. Sutton, 89, died on Dec. 26. Old friends, the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, both spoke at the funeral, with the […]
Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby formally inaugurated as UMBC’s first female president
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, tmcqueen@afro.com In a joyous celebration, Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby, the first woman to lead the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), was formally inaugurated. “I am truly grateful to be a part of this beloved community,” said Sheares Ashby, during her inauguration on April 27. “Thank you for the […]