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Vol. 37 No. 12
Website: theaustinvillager.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 512-476-0082
Senator Edward “Ted”
Kennedy passed away at age 77
RAPPIN’
Tommy Wyatt
Citizens
needed to
serve
The city of Austin is
in the process of developing a new Master Plan for
Austin. The last master
plan was done in 1979 and
it was called The Austin
Tomorrow Plan. This plan
was adopted after many
months of work by citizens
of Austin who came together to discuss the
many needs of the city.
The plan has been
updated and adjusted so
many times that it is no
longer a good working
document. The city has
opened up the process and
is looking for citizens to
serve on Comprehensive
Planning Citizens Advisory Committee (CPCAC).
This body of volunteers
will be charged with making sure that an extensive
range of public participation and citizen input occurs during the two-year
development of the Comprehensive Plan.
If you are interested
in how our city is taking
shape and want to have
your thought known, this
is the perfect opportunity
to get involved. As one who
served on The Austin Tomorrow committee during
the last planning process,
this can be a very rewarding experience.
Some of us need to
stop talking and start doing. We all have the responsibility to help make
this city one that will be
accommodating for our
children and grandchildren. Things don’t just
happen. It takes many
years of planning and development to have a livable city of which we can
all be proud.
The deadline was
originally August 20th to
sign up for the CPCAC,
but it has been extended
for a few more days. So,
anyone interested can get
an application from the
city webpage -hhpt://
www.ci.austin.tx.us/
complan. The completed
application should be sent
to Candy Parham at:
[email protected]
In order to have
some say as to how your
community will look in
the future, we all need to
participate in these
worthwhile committees
that are on going in our
city. It is not good enough
to say that you are not going to participate because
“they are going to do what
they want to any way.”
They will only do it if your
are not there to provide
your input. If you need
more information about
the CPCAC, call 974-7630.
Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy, longtime Democratic senator and the patriarch of the Kennedy political
family, has died after a
lengthy battle with brain cancer.
The Kennedy family released a statement early
Wednesday morning saying,
“Edward M. Kennedy – the
husband, father, grandfather,
brother and uncle we loved
so deeply – died late Tuesday
night at home in Hyannis
Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and
joyous light in our lives, but
the inspiration of his faith,
optimism, and perseverance
will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who
gave him care and support
overthis last year, and everyone who stood with him for
so many years in his tireless
march for progress toward
justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this
country and devoted his life
to serving it. He always believed that our best days were
still ahead, but it’s hard to
imagine any of them without
him.”
In recent weeks,
Kennedy had received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama,
and his sister, Eunice
Kennedy Shriver, died. News
came last week that the senator had sent a letter to the governor of Massachusetts, asking that he work to change the
state’s laws of succession to
fill his Senate seat quickly
through a direct appointment, rather than through a
lengthier special election process. Kennedy’s letter, as well
as his absence from the White
House Medal of Freedom ceremony and his sister’s funeral, fueled speculation that
his health condition was
grave.Democrats and Re-
publicans alike had voiced
their regret this year that
Sen. Kennedy had not been
in Washington to shepherd
health care reform through
the Senate. Before he died,
Kennedy called health care
reform the cause of his life.
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)
called Kennedy “the consummate legislator,” while
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
described him as a reliable
partner on important issues.
“He always kept his word,
and that is far less common
around here than a lot of
people think,” McCain told
Politics Daily earlier this
summer, speaking of
Kennedy’s legislative style.
“We just sat down together
and worked out a proposal.
He didn’t start it; I didn’t
start it. We just sat down and
said OK, here’s what we
want to achieve — what do
we have to do?” McCain
said.
Fax: 512-476-0179
August 28, 2009
City Manager selects firm for investigation
recommended by Citizen Review Panel
City Manager Marc
Ott today announced the
selection of KeyPoint Government Solutions, a national leader in compliance monitoring, to perform an independent investigation into the May 11
shooting of Nathaniel
Sanders II.
KeyPoint has an extensive reputation for conducting police-related investigations. KeyPoint recently completed an eightyear term as the court-appointed monitor for the
Los Angeles Police Department.
“I have confidence in
KeyPoint,” Ott said. “The
City has used this firm in
the past and I trust its ability to complete a thorough
review of this case.”
A
report
from
KeyPoint is due in late
September. The Civil Service 180-day timeline for
the Chief of Police to make
a final decision on the
case is Nov. 7.
The Travis County
Grand Jury issued a no-bill
in the criminal investigation of Austin Police Officer Leonardo Quintana
on Aug. 5, finding no
criminal culpability in the
officer’s actions. The APD
Internal Affairs investigation was completed Aug.
11, at which time it was
submitted to Chief of Police Art Acevedo, the Police
Monitor’s Office and the
Citizen Review Panel for
further review.
Austin City Manager Marc Ott
The Citizen Review
Panel met Aug. 18 and
subsequently issued a formal request of the City
Manager to solicit an independent investigation. Ott
agreed to honor that request out of respect for the
critical role that the Citizen Review Panel has in
the process, explaining
that his decision was not
predicated on his personal
opinion of the investigation.
The KeyPoint team
will be led by Jeffrey
Schlanger, President and
CEO of KeyPoint since its
inception
in
2003.
Schlanger has more than
30 years of experience in
law, law enforcement and
police department monitoring. He served as
Deputy Monitor and general manager of the LAPD
monitorship for its en-
tirety.
Schlanger served on
the Executive Committee
of the Working Group on
National Guidelines for
Police Monitors. Prior to
his position as President
of KeyPoint, Schlanger
served as a Practice Manager at Kroll Inc., operated
a private law and investigation firm and served 12
years as an Assistant District Attorney in New York
County.
KeyPoint, based in
Loveland, Colo., has offices in Reston, Va.; Los
Angeles; and New York.
The firm also is a leading
provider of security-clearance background and employment screen services
U.S. federal government
agencies such as the Office
of Personnel Management
and the Department of
Homeland Security.
Public figures from
across the political spectrum
reacted with sadness to the
senator’s passing. Sen. Orin
Hatch (R-Utah), one of
Kennedy’s closest friends,
said, “Today America lost a
great elder statesman, a committed public servant and a
leader in the Senate, and I lost
a treasured friend.” Former
First Lady Nancy Reagan released a statement calling
Kennedy “a dear friend,”
while Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid said, “It
was the thrill of my lifetime
to work with Ted Kennedy.”
Reid called Kennedy “a
friend, the model of public
service and an American
icon,” and added, “The liberal lion’s mighty roar may
now fall silent, but his
dream shall never die.”
President Obama released a statement at 4:30 a.m.
See
Kennedy page 7
City of Austin to accept $2 million
in HUD Federal stimulus funds to
create legacy projects and jobs
City officials were
joined by Congressman
Lloyd Doggett and representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) as well
as area nonprofits today at a
news conference to announce
an investment in Austin’s
economy and community
with $2 million in Community Development Block
Grant Recovery (CDBG-R)
funds awarded by HUD and
made possible through the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Re-
covery Act).
The money will fund
four community development
projects that will address infrastructure needs in East
Austin and offset construction
costs for nonprofit facilities.
The projects combined will
create more than 100 construction jobs and help create
or retain more than 150 permanent jobs in the next 18
months. These projects,
funded by CDBG-R, will be in
East Austin and will serve
low-income residents.
See Stimulus page 7
Back to School Bash and Safety Fair Draws Hundreds
Winn Elementary School students practice safe-walk-to-school skills on Saturday, August 22, at the Austin School District’s Annual Back-to-School Bash and Safety Fair at the Delco
Activity Center. Principal Lucila Duncan received a proclamation from Austin Mayor Lee
Leffingwell for hosting the demonstration. Approximately 8,000 students and parents participated in a bike rodeo and practiced emergency resuscitation techniques on training mannequins. Additionally, 800 students received free bike helmets; some 100 immunizations were
administered; and about 1,700 qualifying students received free back packs with school supplies. All students who attended received free school supplies. Parents had opportunities to
speak with representatives of dozens of community organizations that partner with the District. Austin Police Department and Fire Department officers were also on hand to demonstrate emergency vehicles, including the police helicopter. More photos of the Bash are posted
at the District’s online gallery at <www.austinisd.org>.
Page 2/THE VILLAGER/August 28, 2009
EDITORIALS/COMMENTARY
Editorial, Commentary or Letter to the Editor Fax to 512.476.0179 Email to [email protected] Mail to 1223-A Rosewood Avenue, 78702
Boycotting Glenn Beck’s Sponsors is not Enough
George E. Curry
NNPA Columnist
Some of the nation’s
blue chip companies – many
that rely on African-American consumers for a significant portion of their profits –
advertised on right-winger
Glenn Beck’s incendiary program on Fox TV. They include: Procter & Gamble, Kraft
Food, ConAgra (maker of
Healthy Choice foods),
Clorox, UPS, the U.S. Postal
Service, Honda, General Electric, Travelocity, State Farm
Insurance, Geico, Farmer’s
Insurance, Pfizer, Wal-Mart,
Best Buy, Office Depot,
RadioShack, Sprint, CVS, Red
Lobster, Nestle, Progressive
Insurance and pharmaceutical companies Roche and
Sanofi-Aventis (maker of
Plavix)..Beck touched off a
firestorm when he labeled
President Obama “a racist”
who has “deep-seated hatred
for
White
people.”
ColorOfChange.org, an
Internet-oriented Black grass
roots advocacy group,
quickly organized a petition
drive urging advertisers to
stop sponsoring his show.
One by one, more than 30
sponsors, some claiming
there had been a “miscommunication” about their ever
wanting to advertise on
Beck’s program, requested
that their spots be aired elsewhere on the Fox network.
While this was a partial victory for ColorOfChange.org, it
did not address the larger issue of Fox’s overall hostility
toward progressives and
people of color. As
Marketwatch.com noted, “For
its part, Fox News said
through a spokeswoman that
while some advertisers have
‘removed their spots from
Beck,’ they have just shifted
to ‘other programs on the network, so there has been no
revenue lost.” Hear that? No
revenue lost. When commercial sponsors or Fox experience lost revenue, that’s when
we’ll get the change we’ve
been waiting for. Meanwhile,
Beck supporters have organized defendglenn.com to
pressure advertisers to stay
with the controversial host.
Interestingly, many of the
major companies that advertised on Beck’s radio and TV
shows until it became a public liability, specifically told
ABC radio that they didn’t
want any of their ads airing
on liberal Air America pro-
grams. MediaMatters.org, the
watchdog group, obtained an
internal memo in 2006 that
named the companies, including Wal-Mart, Office Depot, General Electric, Farmers
Insurance, Nestle, Red Lobster, State Farm, Travelocity,
the U.S. Postal Service and
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Other companies that advertised on the television and
radio programs of conservatives Rush Limbaugh and
Lou Dobbs (who likes to pretend he’s an independent)
while prohibiting ads from
running on Air America were:
JC Penney, Frito-Lay, Home
Depot, Visa, the American
Heart Association, the U.S.
Navy, Bayer and Allstate.
Allstate and Red Lobster said,
contrary to the memo, they
never requested that their
commercials not appear on
Air America.Beck’s attack on
Obama was not an isolated
one. Earlier, he said Obama’s
congressional priorities were
driven by his support of reparations and the desire to
“settle old racial scores.” He
said the president was moving the U.S. “into a system of
fascism” and called Supreme
Court
Justice
Sonia
Sotomayor “a racist.” Rush
Limbaugh, apparently reading from the same playbook,
alleged Obama “is the greatest living example of a reverse
racist.”
He
claimed,
“Obama’s entire economic
program is reparations.” And
he said, “Of course, I want
Obama to fail.” He added,
“We are being told that we
have to hope he succeeds, that
we have to bend over, grab the
ankles…because his father
was Black.” CNN’s Lou
Dobbs claims that the birth
certificate provided by
Obama is not “the real document.” He incredulously asserted, “A certificate of live
birth is not a birth certificate.”
What are we to think of companies that support loud
mouths that make such outlandish charges? I have two
suggestions for the boycott
organizers. First, continue to
monitor companies that remain sponsors on Glenn
Beck’s radio and TV programs. I’ll print the list of all
of the companies in this space
once you’ve completed the
research. My second recommendation is that we compile
a list of companies that sponsor the radio and TV programs of Glenn Beck, Rush
Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs.
Cross check the names of
those firms with our major
Black radio stations. I know
we can’t list everyone, but
let’s start with radio programs hosted by Joe Madison,
Bev Smith, Tom Joyner, Steve
Harvey, Jesse Jackson, Al
Sharpton, Michael Eric
Currently, the proposal does
not include exemptions for S
corporations or other small
businesses, many of which
file as individuals for tax purposes. This surtax may affect
the income of half of all small
businesses with 20 to 249
employees. Individually the
self-employed woman entrepreneur continue to struggle
with an uphill battle not only
with daily business challenges but also spiraling costs
of finding quality family
healthcare coverage. Therefore, many hire part-time
workers specifically to avoid
healthcare costs because no
financial incentive exists for
them otherwise. Today, small
business owners face over 5
percent annual increases in
healthcare premiums along
with an economic downturn
and rising overhead expenses. It is unusual to find
self-employed health insurance that reaches the same
levels of coverage offered by
larger company employers.
The primary issue being sta-
tistically the risk of a consistently healthy individual is
generally lower than spread
over a group. This results in
higher expenses for the individual seeking the same level
of services. The first detail a
self-employed person should
look for in health insurance
is what coverage they’re actually going to need. Full comprehensive health insurance
gets very expensive. For example, raising deductibles, or
accepting that you don’t need
certain types of industrial
compensation are useful
ways to trim back costs and
keep the health insurance affordable. By talking to local
neighbors about healthcare,
friends, other business owners, or accountants many
women entrepreneurs save a
lot of money by learning from
the experiences of others.
Many consider the U.S. Treasury Health Savings Accounts (HSA) that allows employees or employers not covered by another plan to make
tax deferred contributions.
This practical healthcare option can result in a solid employee benefit and savings for
home based or small business
employers. Other women entrepreneurs get involved with
church, minority and small
business non-profit social organizations that provide
health insurance education
including the Minority Professional
Association,
MillionaireMoms.com,
MomInventors.com,
BlackEnterprise.com,
Woman’sWork.com,
BlackBusinessWomanOnline.com,
HomeBasedWorkingMom.com
. Throughout history, there
are many models of successful female entrepreneurs such
as Madame C. J. Walker (born
Sarah Breedlove) listed in the
Guinness Book of World
Records as the First Female
African-American to become
a millionaire by her own
achievements. Further, the
well known story of Oprah
Winfrey’s life is truly inspiring as she overcame many
challenges. Today, Oprah is
Glenn Beck
Women Entrepreneurs and Healthcare
Today’s women entrepreneurs are vital to the
growth of the nation’s
economy employing over 13
million workers in the United
States. Representing 38 percent of all privately held firms,
women entrepreneurs are at
the heart of any sustainable
recovery for job creation and
revenue growth. And yet, we
find millions of women entrepreneurs juggling healthcare
and childcare costs while attempting to maintain a
healthy household. It is safe
to say, these modern day hustlers understand how to
stretch a dollar better than
ever before. These women entrepreneurs possess an uncanny sense of determination.
Their high tech savvy and
natural social genius is often
superior. Recent estimates including by the Center for
Women’s Business Research
indicate the nation has over
10 million businesses owned
by women that generate close
to $1.8 trillion in sales. These
extraordinary women entre-
preneurs by necessity always
share one unique quality in
their ability to think outside
the box for creative solutions.
As our nation’s healthcare
conversations focus on the 46
million uninsured, many
women entrepreneurs across
the country are already meeting such challenges for their
families. Some have found
health insurance through a
spouse employer, or even by
joining the American Farmers
Association or American
Farm Bureau both offer many
self-employed business owners access to affordable group
coverage. The controversial
U.S. House of Representatives
healthcare bill known as the
America’s Affordable Health
Choices Act of 2009 due for
upcoming vote in September;
proposes that a surtax on individuals
who
make
$280,000 or more a year, although there have been discussions about raising the
limit to $500,000 or more (the
tax would range from 1 percent to 5.4 percent of income).
James Clingman
NNPA Columnist
What a life, huh? We
have a President who seems
to think he can change the
political landscape; he seems
to believe that hundreds of
years of political gamesmanship can be swept aside, and
common sense will prevail.
He subscribes to the notion
that all he has to do is make a
speech, do a town hall meeting, or an interview explaining his agenda, and all will
be well in Washington and in
this country. He seems to be
asking the Rodney King question over and over again. And
coming from the President of
the Untied States, someone
who knows how politics
works, it sounds even more
ridiculous.Barack Obama
was swept into office by a riptide of emotion, hope, and exasperation at the previous
eight years. He was ballyhooed and ushered in on the
fragile wings of instant stardom and fame, so much so
that it seems he even believed
was his time to shine, his time
to teach, his time to enlighten;
but he blew it big time and
squandered his fifteen minutes of fame with that immature, naïve, rhetorical
question.In this country, Mr.
President, as you well know,
the political system of which
you are now at least the titular leader is a system
grounded in rancor and adversity, a system that wreaks
of discord, a system comprising childlike adults who always want their way, and a
system based on a 250-year
struggle for the ultimate aphrodisiac: power. You are in
charge of a system whose participants have fought like cats
and dogs over every little
thing, and now you pose the
question, “Can’t we all get
along?”After years of being
beat up, all while watching it
take place before our eyes on
the evening news; most of the
folks who elected you are not
down with the Rodney King
inquiry. We expect much
more from you. Get some
backbone, stand up to the political thugs and do the right
thing. Don’t go down as simply a “big-baller,” be a true
“shot-caller.” And how about
looking out for Black folks
every now and then too? After all, you are the President.
Farrah Gray
NNPA Columnist
admired as one of the most
influential entrepreneurs in
the world. Regardless of the
challenges, women have always played a critical national role whether it was as
rural farm hands, military
defense factory workers during WWII or today as innovative entrepreneurs employing
over 13 million people. These
determined small business
leaders offer valuable experience and knowledge that promotes the constructive dialogue necessary for overcoming obstacles as our nation
seeks answers to creating affordable healthcare solutions.
Why are They
Becoming Hysterical?
Can’t We All Get Along?
the hype. But, now that he is
in office, and the crazies have
come out of woodwork, he
finds himself having to respond to the ire of many of the
same folks who hailed him as
their new chief on January 20,
2009.Obama is busy plugging
holes in the dike and is fast
running out of fingers. He
was forced to take time to
have a beer with two guys
who had a spat, and offered
it to us as a teachable moment
that would demonstrate we
can indeed all get along. He
is on the road explaining his
healthcare plan, trying desperately to get his opponents
to get on board and get along
with him as well. He is attempting to be all things to all
people, albeit disciplinary
when it comes to Black
people; but that’s another article. All of this in his utopian
endeavor to have us all get
along.Memo to President
Barack Obama: After Rodney
King was beaten senseless by
those police officers, all he
could utter is “Can’t we all get
along?” All he could muster
the nerve to say before the
cameras of the world, before
a public shocked beyond
their imagination at what
happened to him, recorded
for everyone to see, was
“Can’t we all get along?” It
Dyson, Gary Byrd in New
York and Cliff Kelley in Chicago. Let’s use those as starters; we can expand the list
later. Once the list of major
sponsors has been compiled,
the National Newspaper
Publishers
Association
(NNPA) should compare that
list against its national advertisers and publicize that information. Simultaneously,
we should develop a list of
companies that are supportive of the Black Press and
make their names public as
well. Working with these two
lists, we will be able to identify those companies that support us and those that support
our ardent foes. The list
should be compiled every
year. The next step is a natural one: We shouldn’t support companies that don’t
support us. According to the
Selig Center for Economic
Growth at the University of
Georgia, the annual buying
power of African Americans
will grow from $318 million
in 1990 to $1.2 trillion in 2013.
We shouldn’t spend one cent
with companies that support
the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush
Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs
while neglecting to support
the Black Press.
Harry C. Alford
NNPA Columnist
I have been on this earth
for over six decades and I
have never seen such a repetitious amount of temper tantrums, paranoia, propaganda
and verbal eruptions directed
towards political leaders. All
of a sudden our structured
and proven leadership models are becoming inefficient.
The old saying of the late columnist Robert Novak seems
to have taken hold: “Love
your country; don’t trust the
government”. Just what is
causing this? Here’s my take.
We have always had a crisis
to deal with such as The Depression, World War II, Korean War, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, etc. It was
rather easy then because they
came one at a time. In this
modern era of nanoseconds
and instant information,
things are starting to come at
rapid fire. We are involved in
two wars simultaneously
with no apparent end in
sight. The reasons for them are
faulty at best and the respect
and care we give our brave
troops is less than admirable
and, in fact, despicable. We
are still going through the
sub-prime mortgage fiasco in
addition to the Wall St. Bailout, record unemployment
and the worst debt our national treasury has ever seen.
From a leadership perspective
the solutions are not clear.
Fear has set in and what
Franklin D. Roosevelt warned
us about (“The only thing we
have to fear is fear itself”) has
settled in and is gripping our
conscience. We cannot overlook the race factor in all of
this. Our sports heroes in just
about all sports happen to be
Black even if their last names
are Hispanic. White kids love
hip-hop and rap as much as
anyone. The ultimate was the
election of a Black president.
These are not good times for
people of racial animus. In
fact, it is their worst nightmare and that is leading to
scary ideas going through
their heads. The reality is that
we need big and strong leadership and the thought that it
is going to come from a person of color is just too much
for the old school thinking.
It is quite amazing that sto-
ries such as our President is
an illegal alien or that he is
planning death panels to kill
off the sick and tired or is a
Nazi (what happened to the
communist name calling)
seems to be persuading those
who are vulnerable to such
paranoia. The “Birthers”,
“Deathers” and others are
getting time on national television and are subjects of intellectual debate. This is too
scary for a democratic society.
FDR, fear is everywhere right
now. Perhaps the scariest acts
that we see are oddballs coming to public rallies strapped
with pistols and assault rifles.
I’m sure most are just very eccentric and looking for attention but how many of these
idiots may evolve into the next
Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma bomber) or Lee Harvey
Oswald (President Kennedy
assassin). Let’s pray that the
Secret Service will do their job
protecting our President but
how much collateral damage
will be caused if their “ticker”
goes off? It seems to be a tragedy ready to happen.
This thing isn’t about
healthcare. Healthcare is just
the biggest punching bag at
the time. It will be something
else next.
August 28, 2009/The Villager/Page 3
Kennedy Was Champion Of Church-State
Separation, Says Americans United
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn,
executive director of Americans United for Separation of
Church and State, today issued the following statement
on the death of U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.):
“Sen. Ted Kennedy was
a great champion of churchstate separation. It’s not just
that he consistently voted to
support that principle – he
really got it. He deeply understood that only a high and
firm wall of separation between church and state could
protect our liberties. He knew
the reasons why our
Founders established churchstate separation and why we
need to preserve it. He got
how church-state separation
protects the rights of both religious and non-religious
people.
“One of the things that
made Sen. Kennedy so effective was his powerful presence. I first met him in the
1970s during a meeting designed to address issues of
concern to residents of Washington, D.C. There were probably 40 people in the room, all
squabbling about how to proceed. When Sen. Kennedy
walked in, all talking stopped.
(D-Mass) U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
He outlined a plan of action,
and we divided up the work.
“In subsequent years, I
had many occasions to work
with Sen. Kennedy and his
staff. Although he belonged to
a powerful political family, I
always found him to be down
to earth and engaging. He always took the time to intensely study whatever issue
came before him, and his command of the facts and the
workings of the Senate were
impressive.
“When Sen. Jesse
Helms tried to push a school
HOSPITAL PHARMACY
prayer amendment through
the Senate, Ted Kennedy
stood up to block it. When
President Ronald Reagan
sought to put Robert Bork on
the Supreme Court, Ted
Kennedy led the charge to
stop him. When bills were introduced in Congress to fund
religious schools with tax
funds, Ted Kennedy was the
first to speak up in opposition.
“At the same time, Sen.
Kennedy was a consistent
supporter of the free exercise
of religion and deplored any
effort to chisel away at this
cherished right of the American people.
“At Americans United’s
50th anniversary celebration
in 1997, Kennedy sent videotaped remarks commending
AU’s work. ‘Through the
years,’ Kennedy said, ‘we have
worked well together to ensure
that when the First Amendment says [Congress shall
make] no law [respecting an
establishment of religion], it
means no law. May it always
be so.’
“Sen. Kennedy truly cannot be replaced. He was an institution and will be remembered as one of the great heroes of religious liberty and
church-state separation.
Americans United sends its
condolences to the senator’s
family. We mourn his passing
but honor his legacy – a legacy
of freedom that will stand for
many years to come.”
All Nations
Christian Center to hold
Revival and Women’s Day
Service
All Nations Christian Center Church of God In Christ
will present a Revival and
Fifth Sunday Women’s Day
Service this weekend.
The revival will be Friday
and Saturday, August 28
and 29, 2009 at 7 p.m. and
Women’s Day will be Sunday, August 30 at 3 p.m.
The Guest Speaker is
Evangelist
Dorothy
Crosson. “The public is invited to join in this Holy
Serving Austin since 1970
Let us Fill your next Perscription!
SAVE TIME
The community & surrounding areas are cordially
invited to a “Summer Gospel
Explosion 2009, Saturday,
August 29th, 2009 @ 5:30 PM,
@ Shiloh Primitive Baptist
Church, 385 FM 20,
Bastrop,TX, Elder R. H.
Howard, Pastor. The Inspirational Praise Leader will be
Sister Brenda HumphriesHoward of KFIT Gospel 1060
AM, Austin, TX. The special
guest will be The Original
Wonderful Harmonizers, of
Huntsville, TX. Other guests
will include The Moriah Sisters of Austin, TX and The
Heavenly Praisers of Bastrop,
and the guest soloist will be
Sister Berneice Williams of
Bastrop. For more information
contact Demetria Washington @ 303-3609.
Lone Star Women’s Ministry
to host Saturday event
Lone Star Missionary
Baptist Church, 268 Shiloh
Road, Bastrop, TX., Rev. Fred
Blackman, Pastor, Women’s
Ministry cordially invites all
women to join us for an afternoon of fellowship, food, and
fun, on Saturday, August 29,
2009 @ 3:00 PM. Our dynamic
speakers will be speaking on
the fruit of the Spirit. Our
speakers will be Sister Brenda
Hubert (Love), Sister Willie
Hickey (Joy), Sister Gloria
Norfleet (Peace), Sister Evelyn
Edmondson (Longsuffering)
and Sister Ernestine Simms
(Faith). Songs of Love will be
by Sister Mickey Taylor & Sister Barbara Anderson.
Theme:”Live by The Spirit”
This I say then, walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. Galatians
5:16. For more information
contact
Sister
Hattie
McMarion @ 303-6823 or Sister Lula Reese @ 303-1664.
Church news, announcement?
If so, contact the Villager
at 476-0082
Ghost filled service,” says
Missionary
Martha
Campfield, Women’s Department President.
Superintendent W. N.
Little is Founder and Pastor
and Evangelist Serual Little
is First Lady.
The Christian Center is located at 4 Chisholm Trail
Road, Round Rock, Texas.
For more information, call
(512) 388-1313.
DOUBLE “R” GROCERY
We cash ALL Tax Refund
Checks
Check Out
Ask your doctor to call
your prescription in to us
and we’ll have it ready for you
when you get here!
2115 E. MLK Blvd.
512-476-7338
Summer Gospel Explosion 2009 at
Shiloh Baptist
THE AIRPORT FLEE MARKET
Saturdays and Sundays
Austin, Texas 78702
www.PHRX.Net
Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. - Noon
We can stretch your
advertising budget.Just call us at
512.476.0082
450l East Martin luther King Blvd.
1149 Airport Blvd.
Visit the church of your choice on Sunday
Agape Baptist Church
David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
Maranatha Faith Center
2211 East MLK Blvd.
Office: 512-472-9748
Fax: 512-472-5399
In “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)
AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love He exhibited is
Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you. For there is no greater love!
Church Services
Sunday Services
Discipleship Training 8:15 A.M.
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
Worship
10:00 A.M.
Rev. Joseph C. Parker Jr.
Nursery services available
Pastor
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church4509
Springdale Road 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281
Sunday
School
9:30 AM
Sunday Worship
11:00 AM
Mid-Week Service
Thursday: Praise, Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PM
Call 454-1547 for Transporation
Website www.agapebcaustintx.org
Rev. H. Ed Calahan
Pastor
JOSHUA CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1006 Yeager Lane, Suite 102-A
Austin, Texas
We invite you to come and worship with us
Sunday Services
Worship
Sunday School
Worship Service
Rev. Jack C. Gause
Pastor
8:30 A.M.
9:45 A.M
11:00 A.M.
6:00 P.M.
Ebenezer Baptist Church
1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax: 512-478-1892
Radio Ministry (KIXI 970 AM
TV Ministry (ACTV. Ch 32)
Bus Ministry
9:00 A.M.
9:00 A.M.
Call 512-478-1875
Rev. Lois Hayes, Pastor
Sunday Services
Sunday School
Morning Service
Wednesday Service
9:00-10:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M. -12Noon
7:00 - 8:00 P.M.
Floyd Fontenot, Sr., Founder Floyd Fontenot, Jr., Pastor
Imani Community Church
Davis Elementray Auditorium
8:00 A.M.
9:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M.
Wednesday
Midweek Prayer Service
7:00 P.M.
Child Development Center
Ages 0-5 years
(Daily) 512-478-6709
5214 West Duval Road
Sunday School
Worship Service
•Power Hour Bible Life Group
9:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M.
6:00 P.M.
Imani Complex & Office,
11800 Mustang at Duval
Austin, Texas 78727
Visit:imanichurch.com
Office: 512-343-9300
Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims
AFRICAN ASSEMBLIES of GOD
CHURCH
A growing church ministering to African American and
other nationals
Come worship with us
Sunday Services
Worship Service
Sunday School
Discipleship Training
Worship Service
Rev. Marvin C. Griffin
Pastor
Sunday School
10:00 A.M.
Worship Service
11:00 A.M.
WEDNESDAY Bible Study
6:30 P.M.
SATURDAY New
Jesus is Coming Again
The church fellowship where everybody can be somebody!
Member Assimilation 10:00 A.M.
Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
Sunday Services
4930 South Congress Avenue, C-302 512-750-4628 512-804-2537
Sunday Worship
Wednesday Prayer Meeting
11:30 A.M.
6:45 P.M.
Rosewood Avenue Missionary Baptist Church
1820 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702
(512) 476-8201 Fax (512) 476-5693
“Divine Enpowerment for Bold Ministries”
Weekly Services
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.
Wed. Night Bible Fellowship 6:30 p.m.
The Spencer & Ora Lee Nobles
“Hope Center” (512) 476-6722
Place of Worship
The Church of Glad Tidings 2700 Northland Dr. Austin, TX 78756
For more information, contact Pastor Jonah Ghartey
512-873-8103 [email protected]
Aligned with Matters
of Eternity
St Annie A.M.E. Church
1711 Newton Street
Austin, Texas 78704
Voice mail (512) 444-4509
E-mail: [email protected]
Sunday School
9:30 A.M.
Morning services 10:45 A.M.
Rev. Derwin D. Gipson, Pastor
Rev. Coby Shorter, III
Pastor
We b s i t e :
w w w.rosewoodbaptistchurch.org
Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church
5900 Cameron Road
Austin, Texas 78723-1843
(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax
Web Site - www.themount.net
WORSHIP SERVICES
Sunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.
Church School - 9:45 a.m.
Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noon
Wednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m .
“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18
A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor
Page 4/THE VILLAGER/August 28, 2009
Manor FFA Youth Receive National Honor
Yellow Jacket Field gets a
clean sweep
Thomas Hollywwood Henderson (standing 3rd from left) and Councilmember Sheryl Cole (Standing 3rd
from right) join youth from the Boys and Girls Club-Rosewood and sponsors after Yellowjacket Field
cleanup. Staff member Damon Luckett is seated center
By Natomi Austin
Manor FFA Chapter officers
By Adrienne Ison
Staff Reporter
Summer vacation did
not stop Manor youth, members of “Future Farmers of
America”, from spending
time positively, to earn great
recognition.
The Manor FFA Chapter received a National Chapter Award and was recognized as a Superior Chapter
during the FFA Dallas Convention, which they attended
July 7 -10. During the course
of the week the Manor FFA
Chapter Officer Team were
given the opportunity to meet
members from other chapters
and participate in a variety of
activities; were able to plan
meetings and activities for the
upcoming year, were able to
participate as voting delegates throughout the week
Several Manor members received awards at the
convention. Cody Gardner
and John Watson were
awarded their Lone Star FFA
Degrees. This is the highest
award bestowed on members
by the State Association.
Marah
Ingalsbe
was
awarded a $5,000 Star of
Texas Fair & Rodeo scholarship. All three members are
2009 graduates of Manor
High School.
Two Manor FFA members were also selected to
participate in the State FFA
Chorus. Bruce Shelby and
Jenae Fairrow were selected
after completing an application and submitting an audition tape. The State Chorus
performed at each General
Session of the Convention.
Earlier in the year FFA
Officer Bruce Shelby, became
the first student from Manor
to ever be elected as the District Officer. This position is
an earned accomplishment.
As Centex District Reporter
Bruce is now responsible for
all of the Austin Schools and
surrounding areas including,
Round Rock, Pflugerville, Del
Valley and Bastrop. He and
other FFA leaders are responsible for organizing leadership camps, and showing the
various branches how to govern their specific chapters,
including the earning of
awards.
The officers expressed
that they are looking forward
to a year filled with many exciting opportunities for the
members as they help the
Texas FFA “Inspire, Engage,
& Achieve.”
Friday Night Lights readies for new season
The starting of Season 4
of the acclaimed DirecTV/
NBC television series “Friday
Night Lights” and the casting
office will opened this week.
The show begin filming as of
9/2/09 until approximately
12/23/09 in AUSTIN, TX.
They are currently looking to
fill our general EXTRAS and
FEATURED EXTRAS positions with NEW faces who
have never worked on “Friday
Night Lights” before.
(Austin or Texas LOCALS ONLY- they will NOT
fly anyone to Austin, pay for
gas or provide housing!).
AGES-HISPANIC men,
women and children, ALL
AGES-Football Players:
18-23 years old, all
ethnicities especially African American and Hispanic,
young looking, athletic,
football experience helpful
but not required, must know
how to put on pads and uniform-Pop Warner/Pee Wee
Football Players: 5-12 years
old, African American,
some football playing experience is helpful-CheerleadTHE PRODUCERS ers & Dance Team: female,
ARE SEEKING:-AFRI- 18-23 years old, all
CAN AMERICAN men, ethnicities especially African
women and children, ALL American and Hispanic,
MYEC
cute-African American and
Hispanic, coaches: 28-60,
athletic, previous coaching
experience helpful but not
required ALL POSITIONS
ARE PAID POSITIONS at
$7.25 per hour (with 8 hour
guarantee). Some extras positions do pay more. They
are also casting general extras (Fans, Teachers, Students, Restaurant Patrons,
Townspeople, etc.) for this
project- open to ALL ages,
all ethnicities especially AF-
On August 10, 2009 over
twenty young girls and boys
from the Boys and Girls club
in Rosewood area made a
strong commitment. They
made a decision to do something great for their community by cleaning up Yellow
Jacket Field. Yellow Jacket
Field is historically known as
a field that many people in the
Rosewood community have
grown to love and appreciate
as apart of the community.
Sonya Johnson and Damon
Luckett are the key staff members at the Boys and Girls
Club-Rosewood that spearheaded the opportunity for
these young people to give
back to the community.
The young people from
the Boys and Girls club were
greeted by Councilmember
Sheryl Cole that afternoon.
Councilwoman Cole first
thanked the young people for
their hard work in the community. She noted that these
young people volunteered to
take on the task of cleaning up
the field which is something
most young people don’t like
to do. Councilwoman Cole
talked about what she does as
a councilmember for the City
Of Austin and took questions
from the audience.
Austin Police Officer
Eric Oakmon and a few of his
colleagues, Lieutenant Ken
Cannaday, Commander William Bastow and Officer Dale
Cooper also came to greet the
young people and congratulate them on their volunteer
efforts at Yellow Jacket Field.
Officer Oakmon talked about
his work with the Eastside
Story program and many
other community programs. A
native of East Austin, Officer
Oakmon wanted to let the
young people know that there
is opportunity through sports,
which the field promotes.
And, there are upcoming programs that students will be
able to participate in that will
promote health and team
building through basketball.
The highlight of the
day was a talk from former
NFL football player Thomas
“Hollywood” Henderson.
He talked abut how sports
are a great way to go on to
college and get a degree.
“Education is the key to d
whatever you want to do,”
Henderson
states.
Henderson was responsible
for many of the improvements needed on Yellow
Jacket Field for the community use. After the small talks
our young volunteers were
rewarded with certificates
and an opportunity to play
video games on the mobile
game unity Games2U.
Thanks to all the young
people that made their investment in East Austin!
At the
V
illa
ger
e can str
etc
hy
our
Villa
illag
er,, w
we
stretc
etch
your
advertising
b
udg
et. Just call us a
budg
udget.
att
512.476.0082
RICAN AMERICAN and
HISPANIC. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!!!!
If you are not already
in the talent database, you
MUST fill out a FREE profile
at
www.onlocationcasting
.net in order to be considered for extra work. You
MUST attach 1-2 recent photos, otherwise your profile
will automatically be deleted. Upgrades that are offered are OPTIONAL and
they are not necessary in
order to work on “Friday
Night Lights”. MAKE SURE
TO LIST YOUR SPECIAL
SKILL (football, dance,
cheerleading, coach, skateboard, etc.) in your profile!!!!
Please DO NOT input a credit card and DO
NOT PAY for anything
once you register your talent application!!!If you are
already in the talent database, please DO NOT create a new talent profile.
However, please be sure to
log-in to your profile and
make sure all of your contact information & photos
are current. You cannot be
hired if you do not have accurate phone numbers
listed. If you look different
then the photo you have in
your profile, please update
you picture(s) as well.
BizAid
August 28, 2009/THE VILLAGER/page 5
The Diaspora
As another week comes,
the Diaspora will be highlighting about another trailblazing member of the African
community in Central Texas.
The person of the week is unlike other individuals whom
the Diaspora wrote about, because she is new to Central
Texas. Although Nina
Nacanannabo is fairly new to
Central Texas, she knows that
Central Texas will give her
the opportunity to get her
piece of the “American
Dream”. She was willing to
leave her native country and
also leave Houston, TX because she believes that the
business environment of Central Texas is suitable to her
ability to achieve her dream.
Nina was born and raised
in Ouagadougou, Burkina
Faso which is a landlocked
country in West Africa. She
attended “Lycee Technique of
Ouagadougou High School”.
She also learned how to braid
hair during this period. After
graduating from high school,
she spent three years at the
university where she studied
and received a pre-law degree
from St Thomas Aquin University. After obtaining a
green card, she came to the
United States where she studied Basic English for the past
year. Upon finishing English
classes, she plans to attend
the University of Texas at
Austin’s Business School.
Not only is she planning to
get a bachelor degree, but also
plans to attain a MBA degree.
While seeking a business degree, Nina also plans to open
her
own
business.
After recently leaving
Houston to settle in Central
Texas, Nina plans to utilize
her entrepreneur spirit to
open up a hair salon. Moreover, she moved from Houston to Austin because she believes that this region would
allow her to build a business.
Although she doesn’t have a
salon, she is currently braiding hair based own appointments. Some of the types of
braids she offers are kinky
braids, free style, cornrows,
and microwave braids. Since,
she doesn’t have a salon, she
can be contacted at (832) 5378745 for a braiding appointment. After settling down in
Central Texas, she plans to
eventually open up a hair salon.
Snapshot at Austin
City Government
Austin City Council
On August 19, 2009, the
City Council went into a
closed meeting to discuss the
city's budget. Then on August 20,, 2009 the City Council held a regular council
meeting in which they approved the minutes of August
6, 2009 council meeting and
also discussed 67 items. The
agenda included items such
as: water utility; increasing
the lease at Bergstrom Airport; communications and
technology management;
contract and land management; the city’s convention
center; the city's purchasing
office; planning and development review; public works;
transportation; and zoning
ordinances/restrictive covenant. Furthermore, the city
council had an executive session to discuss "legal issues
related to Cause No. D-1-GN07-001790; Archer-Western
Contractors, Ltd., an Illinois
Limited Partnership v. City of
Austin, Texas; In the 201st
Judicial District Court of
Travis County, Texas (concerns Ulrich Water Treatment
Plant). (Private Consultation
with Attorney - Section
551.071)."
Aerial of beautiful Austin, TX
City of
Austin
Watering
Rules
On August 24, 2009 the
city of Austin began a Water
Restriction Stage 2 Level. The
city of Austin will establish a
Level 2 water restriction because of the ongoing drought.
Moreover, the ongoing
drought has caused a drop in
the combined storage level of
less than 900,000 acre-feet in
Lakes Travis and Buchanan.
Consequently, residents of
the city of Austin and commercial businesses will be restricted to outside water usage on certain days. These are
the following days that residents can use outside watering: on Saturdays, residential
customers (4 or fewer units)
with addresses ending in odd
numbers can use outdoor
watering; On Sundays, residential customers (4 or fewer
units) with addresses ending
in even numbers can use outdoor watering; On Tuesdays,
Commercial and multifamily
customers (including common areas of condominiums
or homeowners’ associations) with street addresses
ending in odd numbers can
use outdoor watering; and on
Fridays, commercial and
multifamily customers (including common areas of
condominiums
or
homeowners’ associations)
with street addresses ending
in even numbers can use outdoor watering.
Moreover, Stage 2 Level
Watering means that the restriction established by the
city affects the outside usage
of watering. Individuals can
only wash their cars during
designated outdoor water use
days from 12 a.m. to 10 a.m.
and from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Individuals must use a handheld bucket or a hose
equipped with a shut off
nozzle. Individuals may
wash their cars at a commercial car wash at any time and
on any day. A person may
schedule an automatic system no earlier than 12:01 a.m.
on their designated water use
day. All cycles must be complete by 10:00 a.m. that same
day. Furthermore a stage two
watering level prohibits the
washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, or other
paved areas except when necessary to alleviate an immediate health or safety hazard.
Also, individuals are prohibited from conducting or participating in a charity car
Wash. Moreover, these are
only a few of instances that
individuals can use water for
outdoor purposes.
Not only the city has restricted water usage, but will
also enforce the restriction by
fines. The city of Austin is in
the process of enlisting additional personnel to "investigate all reported watering violations." Moreover, the personnel enlisted by the city will
conduct patrols and investigations scheduled around the
clock. Before the agent issues
a violation, they must witness
and document the violation.
A violation of the city's management ordinance (Chapter
6-4 of City Code) is considered
a Misdemeanor C, carrying a
fine of $500.
The African Diaspors Section
By Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
Summerfest in Austin TX.
On August 22, 2009,
KAZI 88.7 FM radio celebrated their 27th anniversary by organizing a
Summerfest in Austin TX between the hours of 10 am to
10 pm. The Summerfest
which was held in the Monarch Event Center had a festive atmosphere but yet a serious tone to it. The Summer
Fest had many vendors who
offered music, food, and arts
and crafts. The Travis
County Health and Human
Service Mobile Van offered
free screening for blood pressure, blood sugar, pregnancy
and STDs. Although people
were in a festive mood, there
were also seminars in which
people could discuss relevant
issues that concern the African American community in
Austin. For instance, a seminar on "Race Relations" and
"It's Time to Stop" were hosted
by Stanley W. Allen. “The
definition of Community/
Communities" was hosted by
Richard Smith. "Starting and
Growing a Business in
Today's Economic Environment" was hosted by
Hopeton Hay and the National Association of Black
Accountants. Moreover,
these were examples of the
seminars that a participant
could attend.
Around 3:30 PM, there
were approximately 400 participants who don’t include
the vendors, volunteers, musicians, and speakers present
at the Monarch Event Center.
Moreover, this event was
widely attended by the members of the community and
also by the businesses that
serve the community. During this time, the Villager was
able to gather "sound bites"
from the volunteers and the
vendors that were present at
the event. For instances,
Willie S, Anderson a volunteer stated that, “The event
was a time to support the vendors in the area and also a
time of fellowship with the
community." Richard Smith,
stated, "It is time to reach out
to the community and to
show the vitality of KAZI in
the community."
Cydney Murray stated,
"The event was geared and
relevant to all people and to
all age groups." She also
stated, “This event is a celebration and a time for people
in the community to learn
about the organizations that
serve the community." Finally, Ruth Yonamine, a vendor from BiG Austin, stated
that, "As a nonprofit organization, the event allowed
them to talk to a numerous
amount of people about the
program that they offer to individuals who are seeking to
open a up a business.” She
also stated that, "On October
1, 2009 they will be organizing a summit.”
WE ARE
THE VILLAGER
CCAACC
Page 6/THE VILLAGER/August 28, 2009
Summer Utility Bill Assistance Available
Due to the extreme summer temperatures, the City of
Austin is offering a one-time,
six-month-term Deferred Payment Arrangement option to
assist customers having difficulties paying their summer
utility bills. Generally utility
payment plans are limited to
four-month terms.
“July was the hottest
month on record and it appears we will break the alltime record in Austin for the
total number of days over 100
degrees,” said Austin Mayor
Lee Leffingwell. “The extreme
heat coupled with the downturn in the economy requires
additional consideration for
citizens facing financial difficulties.”
Customers who wish to
request a six-month payment
plan should contact the City
of Austin before Oct. 1, 2009.
Under this payment arrangement, customers will pay 25
percent of the total account
balance as a down payment
within seven calendar days of
making the Deferred Payment
Arrangement, with the remaining balance spread
across six equal installments.
The installment payments must be made in addition to payment of current bill
charges each month. City of
Austin utility customers who
remain current on their DPA
installments and monthly usage charges will not be subject to disconnection.
“Increased awareness
of this new six-month DPA
option, as well as other AE
customer assistance programs, will help citizens who
are struggling to pay their
high summer bills,” said Austin City Council Member
Chris Riley. “Austin Energy
has done a great job of working with Council staff and
concerned citizens to make
necessary changes in response to Austin’s record
high temperatures.”
The exceptional heat
has resulted in significant increases in residential electric
use due to air conditioning.
With temperatures peaking at
or above 100 degrees (espe-
cially for multiple days in a
row) air conditioners will still
run eight hours or more a
day – even with thermostats
set at 79 or 80. And for those
keeping their house cool in
100 degree-plus temperatures, the average air conditioner has been running up
to 15-17 hours out of 24 on
average.
The result is much
higher summer electric bills.
For instance, single family
homes in Austin (excluding
apartments) on average used
about 887 kilowatt-hours
(kWh) of electricity during
both March and April of this
year. June average usage
jumped to 1,927 kWh and in
July hit a record 2,157 kWh
average. The utility bill translation of those jumps goes
from a March and April average electric bill of about $88
to a June bill of $203 on average and a July bill of $235—
virtually a tripling of electric
bills from spring to summer
due almost totally to air conditioning.
Council Member Laura
Morrison added, “This is
also a perfect time for qualified home owners and rent-
ers to apply for Austin
Energy’s free energy efficiency
improvements programs.
These programs can help customers reduce their monthly
energy consumption, which
will result in lower utility
bills.”
Customer Assistance
Discount Program
The City of Austin Customer Assistance Discount
Program provides utility bill
discounts that can total $44.90
a month for a residential customer using a monthly average of 1,000 kilowatt-hours.
The program is available to
customers already receiving
benefits through programs
such as Medicaid, State-paid
Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, Travis County energy assistance programs or
Travis County or City of Austin medical assistance programs.
Customer Assistance
(PLUS 1) Financial Support
Program
Emergency utility bill
assistance, or Plus 1, is available to help pay utility bills of
customers facing extraordinary situations such as loss of
job or medical problems. The
funding is distributed
through some 15 community
assistance groups such as
Travis County Family Support Services. The City of Austin provides about $300,000 a
year in funding and Austin
utility customers provide
about $45,000 in additional
funding.
“Austin citizens have
been generous throughout the
years in assisting those less
fortunate and we appreciate
their participation very
much,” said Austin Energy
General Manager Roger
Duncan. “Those who would
like to provide funding assistance can simply add a contribution to any utility bill
payment and indicate the contribution on their payment
statement.”
Free Energy Efficiency
Improvements
Austin Energy provides
free efficiency improvements
to qualified customers who
own a home, or to those who
rent if they have lived in the
rented house at least three
months. Efficiency improvements include additional attic insulation, duct sealing,
solar screens and more. The
program will also make limited repairs on homes so that
energy efficiency improvements will be effective. This
might include installing new
entry doors and window repair.
Levelized billing can
also help
This program lets you
pay the same electric bill
amount each month throughout the year to avoid a large
jump during summer
months. It works like this:
your energy use over the previous 12 months is added up
and divided by 12. Any projected increase in the fuel
charge for the coming year is
factored in and you get a set
electric bill amount to pay
each month. If your energy
usage exceeds your set payments, the overage is simply
factored into the average for
the next year, which means
you get 12 months to pay it
off. Customers can drop out
of the program at any time.
Customers should call
494-9400
or
visit
www.austinenergy.com for
information or application
forms on the utility assistance
programs outlined above.
DUKES ELECTED TO ADVISORY COUNCIL OF NCSL WOMEN’S
LEGISLATIVE NETWORK
AUSTIN — State Representative Dawnna Dukes
(D- District 46) has been
elected to the Advisory
Council of the Women’s Legislative Network of the National Conference of State
Legislatures (NCSL).
The Women’s Legislative Network of NCSL includes all women state legislators by virtue of their
election to office. There are
currently 1,788 women serving in state legislatures
across the country. The
Network’s mission is to promote the participation, empowerment, and leadership
of women legislators
through:
· Sponsoring forums
and workshops on topics of
interest to women legislators,
· Hosting events for
women legislators at NCSL
meetings, and
· Partnering with other
organizations to provide resources and services.
Recent Network programming has addressed
policy topics of financial
stability and women’s
health.
Representative Dukes
was elected to the Advisory
Council on July 22 at the
Women’s Legislative Net-
work annual business meeting during the NCSL Legislative Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“It is a real privilege
for me to serve on the Advisory Council of the
Women’s Legislative Network,” said Representative
Dukes. “I look forward to
meeting with women leaders throughout the country
to share ideas and learn
from one another about the
critical issues of the day.”
The Advisory Council
of the Women’s Legislative
Network is made up of two
or three women from each
state who serve as their
state’s liaisons to the
Network’s Executive Board.
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staff of the states,
commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most
pressing state issues and is an
effective and respected advocate for the interests of the
states in the American federal
system.
Texas State Representative Dawnna Dukes
Reagan High School September PTSA Meeting
The new school year has begun and what better way to
hit the ground running than
to be a part of the Reagan
PTSA. In addition to being informed about issues such as
the chain of command at
Reagan and beyond, getting
to know your student’s counselors, AP’s, and other administration here at Reagan,
there is a sharing atmosphere
to learn of tools available to
assist you with information
about your student. Even
more importantly, there are
opportunities to volunteer to
make our campus a better
learning environment for our
students, a better teaching
environment for our teachers
and a better place to communicate, monitor and serve for
our parents. There are opportunities to work together as a
team to do whatever it takes
to make our students successful here at Reagan High
School. In addition, the students who are members of the
PTSA are eligible for the
Reagan High School PTSA
Scholarship as well as the
Texas PTSA Award. What
more could you ask of a
PTSA?
Come join us at our next meeting where we will discuss
where we currently stand as
a school as well as where
we’re going and what our
plans are to get there.
We will have entertainment
and a guest speaker. We will
welcome your questions/
comments. Please, share this
invitation with a fellow parent, staff member, community
member or student. We’ll see
you there.
- Jacqueline Chatham
Texas Lottery
Chips
Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy
passed away at age 77 from page 1
President Barack Obama and Senator Kennedy
Wednesday morning,
saying in part, “Michelle and I
were heartbroken to learn this
morning of the death of our dear
friend, Senator Ted Kennedy,”
he said. “I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he
always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presi-
dency. And even as he waged a
valiant struggle with a mortal
illness, I’ve profited as President
from his encouragement and
wisdom.”
Kennedy served in the
United States Senate for 47 years
after filling the seat of his older
brother, John F. Kennedy, after
JFK was elected president. Edward Kennedy became the patriarch of his large family after
the untimely deaths of his
three brothers Joe, Jack and
Robert Kennedy.
Delivering the eulogy
for Robert Kennedy in 1968,
Kennedy said, “My brother
need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what
he was in life, to be remembered as a good and decent
man, who saw wrong and
tried to right it, saw suffering
and tried to heal it, saw war
and tried to stop it. Those of
us who loved him and who
take him to his rest today, pray
that what he was to us and what
he wished for others will someday come to pass for all the
world.” Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near his brothers JFK and
RFK.
Sen. Edward Kennedy
was 77.
August 28, 2009/THE VILLAGER/Page 7
Homemade Video Airs as New Don’t
Mess with Texas TV Ad
AUSTIN, Texas - A new
video advertisement, produced
by the winner of the first-ever
Car2Can™ Contest, will join the
Don’t Mess with Texas lineup
of iconic television spots.
Contest winner, Ryan
Craig, of Austin, produced the
video chosen as most creative
in demonstrating ways to solve
Texas’ litter problem—how to
get trash from cars to trashcans
instead of the side of roadways.
A judges’ panel and public vote chose the winning
video, which depicted Craig
cleaning out a car by taping garbage bags to one side and using
a giant fan to blow the trash out
from the other side. That video
has been edited down to a 30second commercial and will air
during prime time on Austin TV
stations.
“The video is funny and
should inspire people to clean
out their cars but not throw their
trash onto Texas roads,” said
Doris Howdeshell, Travel Information Division Director for the
Texas Department of Transportation. “The idea behind the
Car2Can contest was to get Texans to use their creativity to get
people to stop throwing stuff
out the window and put it into a
trashcan instead.”
In addition to having his
video featured during prime
time television programming,
Craig also won a $250 Wal-Mart
gift card and a Gibson Epiphone
Les Paul II guitar branded by
Sweet Leaf Tea.
The winning video can be
seen
at
www.dontmesswithtexas.org/
car2can.
Pay Station ticket extended Grace
period and Ticket Amnesty
While there has been
widespread support for the
modern pay stations, with the
ability to use credit and debit
cards, we have found that
some of our citizens have been
unclear about the new process to place the parking stickers inside their vehicles. We
want to take the extra time
and steps necessary to allow
all our citizens to understand
the new process.
As a customer service
we will extend the grace
period for those customers
learning the new service,
and issue only a warning
on the first offense of incorrect display of receipt.
For those tickets that
have been issued to date,
we request they all be dismissed and money returned to the customer.
This request only applies to
the Parking Violation No.
41274 “Incorrect display of
sticker,” and not other issued
parking tickets.
We are stepping up our
education efforts with new
signage to be placed on the
pay station that will notify
drivers of the correct placement for the parking receipt
(see preliminary sample below).
Our warning citations
will remind the customer that we
require the parking receipt on the
inside of the curbside windshield for visibility reasons. If the
receipt is simply tossed on the
dash board many times it ends
up upside down or too far down
on the dashboard to read. If that
is the case, staff can’t determine
if the car is parked legally or not.
Our parking enforcement
group will issue a warning
first, while also recording
their license plate number in
our database, so that customers who do not follow the instructions and proper placement of the receipt a second
time will be ticketed.
To date, the City has installed 220 new parking pay
stations replacing the single
coin-operated parking meters
in the downtown area. By November, the City expects to install nearly 500 pay stations,
replacing the majority of the
3,500 single meter system. We
anticipate these early adjustments will increase customer
education and ensure satisfaction with the pay stations.
Please call Steve Grass
field at 974-1489 if you have
any questions or concerns.
For inf
orma
tion call
informa
ormation
Gary W
ar
dian a
War
ardian
att (512) 350-1272
NOW AVAILABLE
City of Austin to accept $2 million in HUD Federal stimulus
funds to create legacy projects and jobs from page 1
“Matching worthy projects
with federal dollars is how we
build a stronger community. This
is another example of how federal
stimulus dollars have been put to
productive use in supporting worthy local initiatives,” said Congressman Doggett.
“The City will continue to
seek Stimulus opportunities to provide investment needed to increase
economic efficiency,” said Mayor
Lee Leffingwell. “These funds will
help Austin create and preserve
jobs, which is key to economic recovery. More importantly, this investment enables members of our
community to build better lives
for themselves by offering opportunity and a sense of dignity to
those in need.”
The Recovery Act awards
$1 billion in CDBG-R funds to be
distributed by HUD to cities, counties, insular areas and states. The
City of Austin is one of 1,200 jurisdictions that received CDBG in fiscal year 2008, making it eligible to
receive CDBG-R. The Austin City
Council will vote to accept the
funds at its regularly scheduled
council meeting Thursday, Aug.
27, 2009. This will allow the
Neighborhood Housing and
Community Development Office
to administer the funds to the following four projects:
· $500,000 to LifeWorks for
the purchase of land to construct a
32,000 square foot Resource Center to expand critical workforce,
youth development, adult and
youth education, and mental
health services to low-income
populations. LifeWorks will close
on the land in September 2009.
Ground breaking will occur in the
first quarter of 2010. The Center is
scheduled to open in mid-2011.
The completed project will
retain 130 professional jobs and
will create 20 construction jobs
during the erection of the facility.
The ground-floor retail space will
also create 20 part-time retail jobs.
LifeWorks will achieve an Austin
EMPLOYMENT/BIDS/
PROPOSALS/PUBLIC/
INFORMATION/
FOR SALE/FOR RENT/MISC
Employment
JANITORIAL WORKERS
NEEDED
ISS Facility Services, Inc. has openings for supervisory, floor men, and
general cleaners for part-time
evening employment. Apply at ISS
Facility Services, Inc. Austin, M-F,
between 4-6 pm, 8101 Cameron
Road # 304. ISS Facility Services,
Inc. is an Equal opportunity Employer (EOE) and promotes a Diverse Workforce.
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three stars.
· $500,000 to PeopleFund for
the construction of the Center for
Economic Opportunity. This twostory facility will provide comprehensive services to local small businesses and low to moderate income
homebuyers. In addition, the facility will provide affordable office
space to small businesses. The Center will be located in the Martin
Luther King Station Area at 1700
Alexander Avenue and will provide
a central location equipped with
modern technology and with ready
access to technical assistance. The
shared office will serve as an incubator for small businesses. This
project will create approximately 20
construction jobs and create two fulltime jobs upon completion.
· $552,703 towards the historic
renovation and new construction of
the African-American Cultural and
Heritage Facility, located at 912 East
11th Street, the site of the historic
Detrick-Hamilton House. This
project will create approximately 50
construction jobs and create four fulltime jobs upon completion by the
designated tenants.
· $250,000 to support the construction of sidewalks in historically
disadvantaged neighborhoods of
Central East Austin. Sidewalks are
an essential component of public
transit, which is used primarily by
low- to moderate-income Austin
residents, and also will enhance the
lifestyles of residents and businesses
in the area. This project will create
17 full-time construction jobs.
· $200,300 will be used for
Community Development Block
Grant-Recovery administration.
For more information about
the City of Austin Stimulus opportunities, including the HUD-ARRA
funds, visit www.cityofaustin.org/
stimulus.
Classified Directory of African American
Owned and Operated businesses and organizations in Austin and the Surrounding area.
$2.00 each. Call 476-0082
or stop by 1223 Rosewood Ave.
Page 8/The Villager/August 28, 2009
Villager Sportsville
Akins scrimmage sets stage
for first game
By George Hardin
SportsBeat
The Akins High School
Eagles held a scrimmage Friday, Aug. 21, at Toney Burger
Stadium in preparation for the
new AISD football season,
which begins this week.
Michael Zierlein, head varsity
coach of the Eagles, who conducted the scrimmage with
the Lanier Vikings, said, “I
was pleased with the scrimmage. Our kids did fine. They
ran the ball, played 100 percent all the time. So that’s
what we’re looking for. They
made some good plays and
we still have some mistakes
to correct but that’s going to
happen when you’re playing
10 sophomores on varsity.
It’s going to take them a while
to get acclimated.” Zierlein
added, “We’re going to rely
on the guys who played last
year on varsity to take them
under their wing and lead the
way. It’s just a matter of getting back to teaching. As for
the year, I kind of see us improving as the year goes on.
You do see the improvement
that we might not have been
seeing in the last couple of
years. You see it in practice
every day.”
Zierlein mentioned
some of the returnees that are
expected to be a strong part of
the new team when its takes
the field. He said, “Konockus
Sashington plays receiver
and cornerback for us and
he’s a Division I type athlete
who’ll go on to play college
[football] somewhere. We’re
looking for some big things
out of him. We have a receiver
named Joel Johnson. He’s
been a three-year letterman for
us also. I’m really looking for
him to step up and do even
bigger things. We have a 6-foot
4, 250-pound tight end
named Chris Auld who is a
junior. He led our team in receptions last year and we’re
looking for him to catch about
30 or 40 balls this year and
help us with the running
game as well.”
Working
with
Zierlein are Jeff Mayfield, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator; Chad Seitz,
co-offensive coordinator;
Steve Riojas, co-offensive coordinator; Humberto Garza,
offensive line coach; Chris
Thomas, receiver coach; Steve
Velasquez, linebacker coach;
Ted Rodriguez, d-line coach;
and Brent Ritter, secondary
coach. Freshman coaches are
Richard Westerlund, Bob
Williams and Trey Crampton.
Zierlein is entering
his third year as head coach
at Akins. The Akins Eagles
will open their season in meeting Crockett High Aug. 28 at
7:30 p.m. at Burger Stadium.
Also holding a scrimmage was Eastside Memorial
High under the leadership of
head coach Darrell Crayton.
He said, “We have quite a few
good players. Most of them are
juniors. We do have a good
senior, Ben Lugo, that’s a running back and linebacker.
Mostly everybody else is juniors and sophomores. We
have Brandon Williams coming back as a linebacker, and
Desmond Shaw, probably
one of the fastest athletes in
the city. He went to the
regionals in the district in
track. He’s coming back as
free safety. Basically we’re just
a straight running team.”
Eastside’s first game
was set for Thursday, Aug 27,
against Canyon Lake in
Fischer, Texas.
COMPETITION—A player from Lanier High tries to hold
on to a pass as an Akins opponent moves against him during a
scrimmage at Toney Burger Stadium. Photo by George E. Hardin.
Burl Toler was NFL pioneer, rejected Orange
Bowl player By George Hardin SportsBeat
Burl Toler, the first African American hired as an official in the National Football
League, died Aug. 16 at a hospital in Castro Valley, Calif.,
after a short illness. Funeral
services were held Wednesday, Aug. 26, in San Francisco. He was 81. Toler was
an All-America linebacker on
the undefeated University of
San Francisco (USF) 1951
team. He was the No. 1 draft
pick of the Cleveland Browns,
but suffered a career-ending
knee injury in the 1952 College All-Star Game against the
then Los Angeles Rams and
was never able to suit up for
the Browns. When Toler took
the NFL position in 1965 he
became the first African
American official in any major team sport in the nation.
After winning 47-14
over the College of the Pacific
in the game that was supposed to determine which
team would get a bowl invitation, USF was told by the
bowl game committee to leave
its two black players at home,
but refused to do so. Besides
Toler, the other black player
was Ollie Matson, a running
back who was born in the east
Texas town of Trinity. Matson
moved to California with his
family as a child. He went on
to play for four NFL teams.
Matson was inducted into the
Professional Football Hall of
Fame in 1972. Ten players altogether went on to NFL positions from that USF team.
The USF’s Gino
Marchetti, referring to the
game in which Toler was
hurt, later told a reporter that
the down in which Toler was
injured “ruined him. The
Rams ran a sweep and he
took three guys out, but he
never got up. I can remember
it like it was yesterday. He
was walking out of the locker
room and fell.”
The U. S. Senate in
2002 adopted a resolution,
submitted by Senator Barbara
Boxer (D-California), saying
the team was a victim of prejudice and “the treatment endured by this team was
wrong and that recognition
for its accomplishments is
long overdue.” Sports Illustrated called the team “the
best team you never heard of.”
Born in Memphis, Toler
graduated from Manassas
High School (the school from
which this reporter graduated
some years later) and played
football at historically black
LeMoyne College (now
LeMoyne-Owen College) before deciding to continue his
education in California at the
urging of an uncle who lived
in Oakland.
Toler worked 25 years
in the NFL before retiring and
officiated at three Super
Bowls. He was the head linesman at the 1980 Super Bowl.
Toler’s son, Burl Toler
Jr., and his grandson, Burl
Toler III, played football for the
University of California at
Berkeley. Toler Jr. did not play
professional football. (When
I worked in public relations
at LeMoyne-Owen College
the wife of Toler Jr. was on the
staff as a freshman counselor.)
Vick Looking Good in Eagles Camp
In Philadelphia, teammates of Michael Vick said
the quarterback looks ready to
play.
Eagle Safety Quintin
Mikell said, "I'm not a quarterback or a quarterback coach
so I wouldn't know exactly,
but as a defensive guy watching, I can tell you that he's
ready."
Coach Andy Reid
hasn’t made any predictions
on when Vick will make his
Eagles debut, but sources say
packages are in place to take
advantage
of
Vick’s
athleticism.
Vick is eligible to play
in the next preseason game,
but not in the regular season.
NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by no later than Week 6
(Oct. 18-19).
Since Vick's first day
with the Eagles, he has stayed
after practice to work with offensive coordinator Marty
Mornhinweg and assistant
coaches. He was joined Monday for 20 minutes by
Donovan McNabb and the
other three QBs on the roster.
The Eagles have kept
practices open, but are not allowing the media to report on
specifics, a standard policy
around the NFL.
But while the Eagles
prefer to keep their intentions
to themselves, it's clear Vick
wasn't brought in only to be a
backup quarterback and that
he figures into the team's
plans. Vick's skills are perfectly suited to run a Wildcat
formation, and he's familiar
with Philadelphia's version of
the West Coast offense.
"I think he's had about
three coordinators who have
all been similar in their style,"
McNabb said. "There is nothing for me to tell him. He's
obviously watched throughout my career and he's run the
offense himself. He'll get a
chance to kind of see it in action, move around in it, try to
run it and try to execute the
plays." Offensive lineman
Shawn Andrews stated Vick
is "ready for another chance".
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Toler III served on the practice squads of the Oakland
Raiders and Washington
Redskins before playing
arena football. More recently
he signed a contract to play
in the Italian Football League.
Toler worked as a teacher
in San Francisco and then became the city’s first black secondary school principal. In
2006, Benjamin Franklin
Middle School, where he had
served as a teacher, was renamed in his honor. He was
inducted into the Bay Area
Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
The accompanying plaque
with Toler’s likeness says:
“Burl Toler was the
rock-solid center-linebacker
on the now justly celebrated
Burl Toler
University of San Francisco
football team of 1951 that finished undefeated, untied, and
uninvited to the Orange Bowl
that year, mainly because two
of its great stars, Toler and
Ollie Matson, were African-
American. On a roster boasting three future NFL Hall of
Famers, Ollie Matson, Gino
Marchetti, and Bob St. Clair,
Toler was considered by his
teammates the most accomplished of all.”