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Volume 79 Number 25 April 18 – 24, 2010 | FREE

Weekend

Ron WaltersA Time to Break Silence

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Parent TipsPositive Discipline.

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Michael ShinnWho Have You Touched?

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

April 15th marks the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinsonbreaking the color line, integrating Major League Baseball. Atthe time of Robinson’s passing in 1972, the percentage ofAfrican-Americans in MLB was 20 percent. That numberpeaked at 27 percent in 1975 and then began to decline.According to a report: 2008 Racial and Gender Report Card:Major League Baseball by Richard Lapchick with NikkiBowey and Ray Mathew, that figure has dropped to an alarm-ing 8.2 percent.

Although the reasons for the decline are varied, one thing iscertain; more resources are needed within the African-American community to encourage Blacks to play baseball.Quality facilities and equipment are essential if those num-bers are to rise again.

To that end, MLB and our Houston Astros have combinedto open the Urban Youth Academy at Sylvester Turner Park inthe Acres Homes neighborhood. The facility will provide

year-round, free baseball and softball instruction to localyouth ages 7-17. The Houston Academy is the second facili-ty that MLB has co-sponsored and is modeled after the origi-nal facility established and operating in Compton, California.

The Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy atSylvester Turner Park features a show field; permanent seat-ing for 500 fans, with space for an additional 1,800 fans;dugouts and lights; one auxiliary field; two little league/soft-ball fields; and 1,500 square feet of office space and otherfacilities.

“Providing opportunities for young people to learn and playbaseball and softball is a priority for Major League Baseballand the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy atSylvester Turner Park will help us accomplish this goal,” saidBaseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “This newfacility will build upon the success we have achieved inCompton by providing the youth of this community aresource for education, fun and baseball.”

Astros, MLB combine toopen Urban Youth Academy

By Hazel Trice EdneyNNPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Thenumbers are clear. As the Bureau ofLabor Statistics reported last weekthat the national unemployment rateremained steady at 9.7 percent lastmonth, there remains the untoldstory.

That story is that as the overallunemployment rate remained steady,the Black unemployment rate leapedfrom 15.8 percent to 16.5 percent.The rate for Black women rose from12.1 percent to 12.4 percent. The ratefor Black men closed in on 20 per-cent, rising from 17.8 to 19.0.

Meanwhile, unemployment ratesfor White America – only half that ofthe Black rate - either remainedsteady or went down. For Whites, therate remained at 8.8 percent, wellbelow the national average. ForWhite men, the rate dropped from 9.0percent to 8.9 percent. For Whitewomen, the rate remained steady at7.3 percent.

Labor experts say racial disparitiesin education is a key answer.

“There’s a very sharp relationshipbetween the level of education andunemployment rates,” says Dr. BarryR. Chiswick, distinguished professor

Black voters toplay big role inNovember

By Kendra DesrosiersNNPA SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

(NNPA) - As Democrats gear upfor midterm elections this November,the Black electorate will play animportant role in battleground states.But, with all the new political jargonabout “climate change,” “green jobs”and the environment, how much willthose issues weigh on Black voters?

According to a recent poll by theJoint Center for Political andEconomic Studies (JCPES), between74 and 80 percent of African-Americans surveyed said they arevery likely to vote in key elections.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a publicationof the University of Virginia Centerfor Politics stated the majority of thecongressional seats rated a toss-upare currently held by Democrats andif elections were to occur today,Republicans would gain seven seatsin the Senate and 27 in the House ofRepresentatives.

“There’s a lot of states whereDemocrats just can’t win unlessAfrican-Americans turn out at thesame rate that they did in 2008,” saysTom Jensen, director of Public PolicyPolling, a polling research companybased in Raleigh, NC.

Jensen anticipates a drop in Black

★BLACK VOTERS, Page 7 ★UNEMPLOYMENT, Page 2

★ASTROS, Page 7

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyDEFENDER

Houstonians are remembering Lenora “Doll”Carter, the pioneering publisher of The ForwardTimes newspaper, who worked tirelessly, not only totell the African-American story, but to build econom-ic development, community prosperity and youthdevelopment.

Carter, a former National Newspaper AssociationPublisher of the Year, was found dead of an apparentheart attack in her home on April 10. She was 69.

Defender Publisher, Sonceria Messiah Jilesremembers Carter as more than just a colleague.

“Doll Carter was a friend. She gave me my first jobin the newspaper industry,” Jiles said. “We often saweach other at the post office on Almeda and usuallytalked for about 30 or 40 minutes, covering every-thing from Houston issues and personalities to oppor-tunities and challenges of the business. Doll was adown-to-earth person, who loved her family especial-ly her grandchildren - her pride and joy. She will betruly missed. The community has lost a strong voice,

★CARTER, Page 2

Photo: Stephen P. O'Brien

Several Houston Astros players were on hand for the grandopening of the Houston Urban Youth Academy at SylvesterTurner Park in Acres Homes.

U.S. Labor:Whites up,Blacks down

e 8

Lenora“Doll”

Carter

C O M M U N I T Y M O U R N S

The powerful Houston Metro Boardofficially has five new members.Mayor Annise Parker has formallysworn in her picks to replace fivemembers whose terms had expired atthe public transportation organization.

On the list of new appointees areasset management executive GilbertGarcia, who will chair the board; attor-neys Dwight Jefferson and CarrinPatman; and engineers Allen DaleWatson and Christof Spieler.

The Metro board of directors hasnine members. In addition to thoseappointed by the city, two are appoint-ed by Harris County and two areappointed by the mayors of Metro’s 14

other member cities.Parker has the authority to appoint

five board members. The agency’sagenda and priorities largely can be setby the mayor, Parker has not mincedwords about her desire to “shake up”the organization.

“I really approached this as if I wereassembling a corporate board, and, ina sense, that’s what this is, becausethey will have oversight of hundredsof millions of dollars in their tenure asboard members, and they will have animpact on the lives of millions of citi-zens in our region,” Parker said,adding that “I wanted a change ofleadership at Metro.”

Metro Board confirmed

Mayor Annise Parker formally swears in the new Metro Board members. Pictured l to r. Mayor Parker,Gilbert Garcia, Christof Spieler, Dwight Jefferson, Carrin Patman, and Allen Dale Watson.

Birth place:Corrigan, Texas

Education:Arizona State University majoring in BusinessAdministration.

Memberships:•Eta Phi Beta Sorority-XI Chapter • NationalAssociation of Market Developers • NationalWomen of Achievement • NationalNewspaper Publishers Association • TexasPress Association • Greater HoustonPartnership • Board of Directors ofAmalgamated Publishers, Inc.

CARTER: BACKGROUND

2 APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDER

a pioneering entrepreneur, a spiritualwoman and a good friend of mine.”

For the past seven years, Carterserved as treasurer of the NNPA, and atone time worked on the executiveboard with Messiah Jiles.

“During my chairmanship of NNPA,Doll served as the Treasurer and weworked hand-in-hand for the BlackPress of America,” Messiah Jiles said.“Her years of service on the boardproved her loyalty to Black newspa-pers and the Black community.”

NNPA Chairman Danny BakewellSr. said Carter always made it a priori-ty to bring the news from a Black per-spective. Bakewell recently spoke withher family by phone.

“I spoke with Doll’s daughter, Karenand gave her my sincere condolencesand offered any help we could provideto both she and her family on behalf ofall NNPA Publishers,” addedBakewell. “As was the case with hermother, Karen is proving to be a verystrong and poised Black woman dur-ing this time of sadness and challengeto her family.”

The Houston Forward TimesNewspaper, one of the South’s largestindependently owned and publishedAfrican-American newspapers wasfounded in January1960, by Carter’slate husband, Julius Carter. LenoraCarter served as General Manager andAdvertising Director. After Julius’

death in 1971, Mrs. Carter becamePublisher and CEO of the company.

Over the years, she has had a “pro-found impact” on everyone from min-isters to educators to civic leaders topoliticians.

“Doll represented all ages,” saidManson Johnson, senior pastor atHolman Street Baptist Church. “Shewas a talented individual. She juggledher roles of motherhood, business-woman, first lady, and communityactivist and did them well. I thinkHouston and Harris County is certain-ly going to have a gap. She was a con-sistent voice for the people and had anuncanny way of seeing and telling if aperson was doing good or bad. We willmiss her voice.”

“Doll Carter was a friend to manyand respected by the nation of pioneerswho pioneered Black media. She car-ried the world on her shoulders, mak-ing sure the world's stories came to ourcommunity. She was a charitable, lov-ing champion for our civility. She mayhave been a publisher in print media,but she'll be remembered as an iconicleader in our community. She was atough woman with a big heart. Shewas my friend,” addedCongresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

“With Doll Carter’s passing, wehave lost a community icon andleader,” added State Rep. GarnetColeman. “She was a second genera-tion publisher/journalist, and under herstewardship the Forward Times andthe Black press as a whole have suc-ceeded in moving our city, our state

and our nation forward. As a familyfriend, mentor and a visionary commu-nity activist she will be missed.”

Womack says Carter took greatpride in bringing the African-American experience to life, anddespite the many obstacles she faced,she was able to take the paper to newheights.

“People read and look at print mediato see not only other people, but ourown people. For 60 years, the ForwardTimes has been able to serve as thatsource for our community,” he said.“Considering an African-Americanwoman leading such a hard business,where you have to sell advertising, shehad one of the largest printers in thesouth. Being able to have the equip-

ment and have a business withemployees and then being able to nur-ture that business with family mem-bers and take it to the next level is real-ly outstanding.”

Under Carter’s leadership, theForward Times filled a vital role in theAfrican-American community, cover-ing politics, social events and commu-nity news that often were given shortshrift in the mainstream daily press,said Coleman.

“I think these newspapers are stillvery important and integral to changefor Black people in America,” he said.“The Forward Times, the Black printpress, are woven into the history ofBlack Houston and also into the fabricof contemporary Black Houston as

well.”And Carter was more than just a

steward of the African-American story.She was an entrepreneur who reinvest-ed her money into her community,Womack added.

Carter’s viewing will take placeApril 16, starting at noon at HolmanStreet Baptist Church, 3501 HolmanStreet, with a celebration to be heldFriday evening from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.The funeral will be held on Saturday,April 17th at Holman Street BaptistChurch at 10:00 a.m.

The family requests that in lieu offlowers, donations be made to theJulius and Lenora Carter Scholarshipand Youth Fund at Wells Fargo bank.

NNPA contributed to this report.

Cartercontinued from page 1

of economics at the University of Illinois atChicago and director of the UIC Center forEconomic Education. “For example, in Marchof last month, those with less than a high schooldegree had an unemployment rate of 14.5 per-cent whereas those with a bachelors degree ormore has an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent.”

Also exacerbating the Black unemploymentrate may be the fact that many of the job areaswhere Blacks and Latinos tend to concentrate

are among the first to lay off or become slowduring hard economic times.

“It goes up more rapidly in manufacturing andin construction than it does in service occupa-tions,” Chiswick says. He says there are severalways to reduce the unemployment disparity ineducational attainment and the second is toincrease jobs.

Chiswick’s suggestions mirror that of theNational Urban League’s State of BlackAmerica released last month. In a plan to “putAmerica back to work” outlined in the annualreport, NUL President and CEO Marc Morial

lists “targeted investments for job creation” asthe number one means of dealing with unem-ployment. He also lists job training for thechronically unemployed; greater access to cred-it to help small businesses and the self-employedto stay afloat; additional counseling relief forpeople caught in foreclosures; and tax incentivesfor clean energy companies who employ indi-viduals in hardest hit communities.

Despite noble efforts by the ObamaAdministration, it appears conditions are wors-ening for Black Americans. The “EqualityIndex” comparing the economic status of Blacks

and Whites in the SBA report is only 57.4 per-cent.

Morial explains in a recent column for NNPA:“This reflects an unemployment rate for Blacksthat is double that for Whites, a widening of themedian household income gap, and the soberingfacts that less than half of African-Americanfamilies own a home compared to three quartersof White families and that Blacks and Hispanicsare more than three times as likely as whites tolive below the poverty line.”

Unemploymentcontinued from page 1

Photo: Forward Times

Houston NAACP President Carolyn Scantleberry and First VicePresident Reginald Little honor Lenora "Doll" Carter with the 2010Community Image Award for her outstanding community service.

Photo: Forward Times

Carter and U. S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee,pose Sept. 2009, Washington, D.C.

APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

Ticket Giveawayon defendernetwork.com

By Nisa Islam MuhammadSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE FINAL CALL

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - There is the Haitithat President Obama recently described: “Thesituation on the ground remains dire and peopleshould be under no illusions that the crisis isover,” he said following a meeting with HaitianPresident René Preval.

With spring rains coming, the president noted,“The challenge is now to prevent a second disas-ter.”

Then there’s this Haiti: “The situation on theground in terms of the medical situation hasimproved,” according to José Ruiz, a civilianspokesman for the United States SouthernCommand. “Demand for medical care is notexceeding the capacity of facilities on theground.”

The real Haiti is more like the situationdescribed by President Obama, according toTransAfrica’s President Nicole Lee, who recent-ly returned from the Black republic. Speaking ata press briefing, she said, “When PresidentObama says that the situation in Haiti is dire, heis right. People are hungry and sleeping in theopen. Only a small percentage of Haitians inneed of medical care and food are receiving it ona regular basis or at levels high enough to makea real difference. We need to sustain our human-itarian efforts until emergency needs have beenmet.”

TransAfrica organized a forum featuringexperts from the RFK Center for Justice andHuman Rights and the Institute for Justice andDemocracy in Haiti to report on their experi-ences in Haiti.

Monika Kalra Varma, director of the RFKCenter, recalled her testimony earlier in the dayto the Inter-American Commission on HumanRights. She explained that in 2008 over half a

billion dollars was pledged to Haiti after the hur-ricanes. Only 15 percent of that ever reached thecountry, she said.

“For several years, the organizations presenthere today have tried unsuccessfully to trackpledges of foreign assistance made to Haiti, tomonitor the amounts actually delivered, and toassess project implementation. It was extremelydifficult—verging on impossible—to do thisbecause an infrastructure to track funds does notexist,” said Ms. Varma.

“Haitians have a right to have a say in howfunds are spent in their country, and they shouldhave recourse if projects are poorly implement-ed, not implemented, or are doing harm to theircommunities. Rhetoric from international offi-cials supports rights-based principles such astransparency; however, unless member statestake specific steps to create concrete mecha-nisms, it will be nearly impossible for theHaitian government and especially impactedHaitian communities to follow the money trail.”

Mario Joseph is the managing attorney of theBureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) inPort-au-Prince, Haiti. The BAI assists and repre-sents those who suffer civil, political, economic,social and cultural rights violations.

“Violations of economic and social rights afterthe earthquake are massive and felt throughoutthe country. The violations are also all intercon-nected: the violation of one right leads inex-orably to the violation of other rights.”

He explained that Haitians are forced to live inpublic parks and on the streets and have sleptoutside for more than two long months—andwhen the rains arrive they will be absolutely des-perate.

“According the United Nations, for twomonths, 1.3 million of my fellow citizens—more than twice the population of the District ofColumbia—have lived in spontaneous camps

for internally displaced people. No one knowshow many ‘lucky people’ sleep, as I do, in a caror in the yard of their homes,” he said. “Seventy-three percent of people interviewed by LAMPfor Haiti said that a lack of food was one of theirprimary priorities, 53 percent had not receivedany food aid … 70 percent in the camps.

Joseph said up to the present, food aid distri-bution has been poorly coordinated. The aid hasgenerally been distributed in disorder. “At times,women have been forced to trade sex to obtain avoucher to feed their families,” he said.

TransAfrica urged the Obama administrationand Congress to:

• Maintain emergency relief efforts at theirhighest levels: Currently, the United Nations andlarge international aid agencies have prioritizeddistribution to only 19 major camps in Port-au-

Prince, leaving the majority of those affected bythe earthquake without access to food, water,and shelter.

• Decentralize the triage: In addition to thecapital city, the earthquake has devastated sever-al major cities in the country. An estimated600,000 people have left the Port-au-Prince areafor the rural areas. The migration has sparked animmediate need for food, shelter, and sanitationin earthquake affected areas outside of Port-au-Prince and in those rural areas now hosting dis-placed people.

• Adhere to international standards: There isanecdotal evidence that humanitarian agencieshave not uniformly applied international human-itarian standards of ethics and practice in creat-ing camps and in disposing of rubble and waste.

‘Overwhelming Need’ still exists in Haiti

By Joseph Guyler DelvaNNPA HAITI CORRESPONDENT

PORT-AU-PRINCE (NNPA) -Many survivors of the earthquakethat ravaged Haiti three months agosaid they were disappointed that USpresident Barack Obama has not yetpaid a visit here to personally showsolidarity and to see with his owneyes the tragedy the Caribbean nationis going through.The Haitian government says more

than 300,000 people may have beenkilled in the 7.0-magnitude earth-quake that also left more than 1.5 million peo-ple homeless, living in makeshift tent camps

without access to most of the basic commodi-ties despite an unprecedented internationaleffort to provide assistance to the country.

Haitians, who feel very close toObama partly because of his racialbackground, said they thought Obamawould have already visited the countryafter such a huge disaster to see forhimself what was going on and toshow solidarity with the Haitian peo-ple who suffered unprecedented loss-es.“We are the first Black independent

Republic of the world, and Obama isthe first US Black president,” Baptist

Minister and political leader, ChavannesJeunes, told NNPA.

BarackObama

Obama No-Show in Haiti

4 APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDER

NBA basketball Hall ofFamer Calvin Murphy led offthe parade honoring the back-to-back state champion YatesLions by twirling his batonwith the school’s band.

Murphy and the band ledthe procession down Cleburne,Ennis and Alabama streetsbefore returning to the schoolauditorium, where the teamaccepted the 2010 MaxPrepsTour of Champions trophypresented by the NationalGuard.

MaxPreps and four othernational high school basketballpolls selected the Lions as theNo. 1 team in the nation in thefinal poll. Yates became thefirst school from Texas toachieve the honor since DallasLincoln in 2002.

Lincoln’s team was led byChris Bosh, who defeatedBeaumont Ozen and KendrickPerkins in the Class 4A statefinals that season.

Yates has won 58 consecu-tive games over the past twoseasons. The Lions set anational record with 15 con-secutive 100-point-plus gamesand set a national record forseason scoring average with116.2 points per game.

In addition to winning by anaverage of 50.7 points pergame, Yates set a state recordby scoring 170 points againstHouston Lee.

Joseph Young and BrandonPeters were selected all-statein Class 4A. Young wasnamed Gatorade Texas BoysBasketball Player of the Year

Dickey’s Hires StaffFor many fans of Cougar

basketball, James Dickey wasnot the first choice or even thesecond choice to succeed TomPenders. Now that Dickey hascompleted his staff, you mightformulate a different opinion.

Dickey has hired three assis-tant coaches and all three justhappen to be qualifiedAfrican-Americans.

The Cougars have rehiredformer Wheatley All-Star andformer UH head coach, AlvinBrooks as his associate coach.Brooks served as the headcoach at Houston from 1993to 1998. Taking over in April1993, he became the firstAfrican-American head coachin program history and one ofthe nation’s youngest headcoaches.

“Alvin loves this city andthe University of Houston, andwe are thrilled he is comingback to our basketball pro-gram. This is home to Alvin,”Dickey said. “He is one of themost respected people in thecoaching profession and willbe a great mentor for both ourcoaches and players. Alvinwill be invaluable in recruitingthe city of Houston and will bea tremendous resource on thesidelines.”

Following his head coach-ing stint at Houston, Brooksserved as an assistant coach atTexas Tech (1999-01), wherehe worked on Dickey’s staff,North Texas (2001-03), UTEP(2003-04) and Texas A&M(2004-07). He also worked asthe director of operations atKentucky from 2007 to 2009.

Dickey has also hired for-mer Iowa State men’s basket-ball assistant coach DaniyalRobinson to the staff.

He will assist in all coach-ing aspects with the Cougars

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

Excuse TSU head football coach JohnnieCole if he isn’t resting on his teams lau-rels as they begin the last week of spring

workouts. The Tigers were 6-5 in 2009, Cole’ssecond year on the job. They were 5-2 in confer-ence play (tied for 2nd in the West), their bestrecords since 2009. While the records put a smileon his face, Cole is not satisfied.

“I said when I first came here that I wanted tobuild a winning program here at Texas

Southern,” Cole said. “I’mhappy with what we accom-plished last season. Our play-ers and coaching staff workedextremely hard, but wehaven’t reached our ultimategoal. Our ultimate goal is towin championships. Our sea-son just makes me more hun-gry to win. I don’t want it asmuch for myself as I do the

alumni. They deserve a football championshipfor supporting us all these years.”

The Tigers finished the season on a roll, win-ning five of their last six games. As a result,motivating the team in spring workouts has notbeen a problem.

“Motivation has not been an issue this spring,”Cole shared. “The biggest thing about this springis our players are at a stage where they knowexactly what to expect from us (coaches). Theyknow our expectations. They have come out ingreat shape, thanks to strength and conditioningcoach Johnny Olguin, now we just can get downto the meat and potatoes of coaching football.”

Offensively, the Tigers return eight starters tospring workouts, led by 2009 SWAC Newcomerof the Year, quarterback Arvell Nelson.

“Everything starts at the quarterback spot.This is a big spring for Arvell, coming off theseason he had,” Coach Cole opined. “He feels alot more comfortable and confident. His choiceswith the ball this spring have been greatlyimproved.”

On offense, one of the biggest surprises thisspring has been the performance of the runningbacks. Marcus Wright, Joe Warren, MichaelGilbert and Sean Daniels have all shown play-making ability that is turning heads.

Defensively, the Tigers return eight starters,led by All-Conference performers, linebackerDejuan Fulghum and defensive back De’MarkusWashington.

“I think the defense did a great job underdefensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey and hisdefensive staff,” Cole said. “They (players)know what to expect from him. The staff did agreat job with mid-term recruitment. We broughtin three or four defensive linemen who can helpus and provide quality depth and have a chanceto make an impact. We need a little depth in thelinebacking group, so we’re looking for someguys to step up. Our secondary remains in tact,so we’re looking for big things from them.We’ve used the spring to tweak and polish thingsto keep us sharp.”

Going into the final week of spring workoutsCoach Cole has implemented a week of activi-ties and programs that he hopes will strengthen

the relationship between his team and the studentbody and the community at large.

“This is our second annual “Football Week”where our seniors take the leadership role in aseries of activities both on and off campus. Weutilize this week to bridge the gap between ourplayers and the student body. It also workstoward our giving back to the community inexchange for their support. It’s all about involve-ment and it takes involvement beyond justmyself, the coaching staff and the players. Weneed the support of the student body and thecommunity to make this whole thing work.”

In addition, Coach Cole has created a TexasSouthern Football Hall of Fame to honor thoseplayers and supporters who laid the foundationfor today’s football program.

“I promised myself that if I ever became head

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

Bellaire head baseballcoach Rocky Manual oncetold the Houston Defenderthat there are three hotbedsfor high school baseball inthe United States.

“There’s Harris County(Texas), Orange County(California) and DadeCounty (Florida). That’swhere the best youthleague baseball is played inthis country,” Manual said.

Since I had the privilegeof playing little league andhigh school baseball in twoof those three counties, Iremain convinced thatManual was absolutely cor-rect. It doesn’t hurt thatManual has guided Bellaireto two of the school’s sevenstate baseball champi-onships.

Bellaire was ranked No.1 in some preseason highschool baseball rankings.Yet the Cards fell 4-3 toGalena Park in their seasonopener. Since then, Bellairehas won 21 of its next 23games, including asparkling 8-0 record inrugged District 20-5Athrough the first half of dis-trict play.

The old sports clichécould never be truer. Itdoesn’t hurt to get off to agood start, but it’s how youfinish that counts.

Other Houston areaschools thriving throughthe first part of high schooldistrict play include Klein

(18-3, 8-0), Tomball (17-5,6-2), Klein Oak (16-8, 5-3), Cypress Falls (16-3, 8-1), Cypress Woods (14-5,8-1), Cy-Fair (18-4, 7-2),Katy Taylor (19-4, 6-2),Memorial (21-4, 8-1),Kingwood (18-4, 6-0),Lamar (16-5, 6-2),Pearland (19-7, 6-1),Clements (15-3, 8-1),Dulles (16-8, 7-2) andBrazoswood (20-3, 7-0) inthe Class 5A classification.

When Memorial metperennial area powerhouseStratford with first place atstake in District 18-5Arecently, it marked the lasttime the two schools wouldmeet in district competitionfor awhile.

Next year, they’ll contin-ue their rivalry in non-dis-trict play. In the UniversityInterscholastic League bi-

annual realignment,Stratford moves to Class4A for the 2010-2011school year whileMemorial remains in thelarge-school classification.

With a packed-house inattendance at StratfordHigh School, Memorialrallied from a three-rundeficit to pull out a 6-4 vic-tory.

The Mustangs are seek-ing their sixth consecutivedistrict championship.

“The players battledback and did what they hadto do,” Memorial coachJeremy York said. “That’sthe sign of a club that’sstarting to come together.”

Stratford (9-10, 7-2)jumped out to a 3-0 lead asBryan Rucker, MarkBenninger and NickWaikem scored first-inning

runs.York relieved starter

Josh Mihalec after four bat-ters with right-handerJacob Dahlstrand and themove proved effective.Dahlstrand, a University ofHouston signee, struck outfive and allowed only onerun over the next 5 and 2/3innings.

In the sixth inning,Memorial shortstop CarterBurgess tied the game witha solo home run. OutfielderBoomer White followedwith a two-RBI double thatgave the Mustangs the finaladvantage (6-4).

Stratford coach JasonWillis expressed his senti-ments following the game.

“I think it will alwaysmean as much as it doesright now,” he said.“Whether it’s a non-district

game or a district game, Ithink we’re still going tohave interest from the com-munity and our family andfriends.”

In District 22-4A. Furrleads the district standingswith a perfect 9-0 record.When head coach RonnieFenton had to miss a gamefor personal reasons, ath-letic coordinator and headfootball coach CornellGray stepped in and guidedthe Brahmans to a districtvictory over Worthing.

Gray played collegebaseball at Texas SouthernUniversity and was quite athome in his substitute roleas backup head coach.

“We’ve got some kidsthat I think can play at thenext level,” Gray said.“We’ve already been mak-ing some calls to collegecoaches.”In Softball News

The Katy Lady Tigershave been ranked in theTop 10 in the state all sea-son. Yet Katy suffered ahumbling experiencerecently when dealt an 11-0setback to District 17-5Arival Cinco Ranch at home.

Cinco Ranch improvedto 6-0 in district play withthe victory and 19-6 over-all.

Class 2A powerhouseDanbury can play withschools in any classifica-tion.

With three quality start-ing pitchers, Danbury hasregistered wins over sever-

★BASEBALL, Page 6

District 22-4A opponents face off as Wheatley battles Worthing.

H.S. baseball springs back into action

TSU Spring FootballBuilding a winning program

Johnnie Cole

Texas Southern University is poised and ready for the 2010 season.

★TSU, Page 6

coach at Texas Southern, I would do something to honor the great playerswho played at TSU,” Cole said.

The 2010 inductees are: representing the ‘50’s Horace Young, James “Bo”Humphrey, Edward Smith, William Glosson and Audrey Ford; the 60’s classincludes Herman Driver, Ernest Calloway, Andy Rice, Willie Ellison andKenny Burroughs; representing the ‘70’s are Mike Holmes and ErnieHolmes; the ‘80’s class includes wide receivers Darrell Colbert and DonaldNarcisse; the ‘90’s class features Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan.

The football contributors are: Rod Paige (coach), Homer McCoy (support-er), Wyman Barrett (supporter) and C. P. Windall (supporter).

A gala Hall of Fame reception is scheduled for May 1st at the WestinGalleria from 5:00 pm-until 11:00 pm. Donations are $25.00 and you areasked to RSVP by April 26th by emailing to kirventm@tsu.edu or by call-ing713-313-7048.

6 APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDERSPORTS

Advertise in the Defender

and also was a Parade Magazine third-team All-American.Astros Launch Urban Youth Baseball Academy

The Houston Astros trotted out the stars for thegrand opening of the Houston Astros MajorLeague Baseball Urban Youth Academy lastweekend in the Acres Homes community of northHouston.

Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamiltonintroduced the guests. None was more prominentthan state representative Sylvester Turner, whospearheaded the drive to bring the Urban YouthAcademy to Houston. The academy is located onthe grounds of Sylvester Turner Park.

Houston mayor Annise Parker and congress-woman Sheila Jackson Lee were in attendancealong with Astros owner Drayton McLane andcurrent players Michael Bourn, Wandy Rodriguez,Tommy Manzella, J.R. Towles and Jeff Keppinger.

The first academy was opened four years ago inCompton, Calif.

Ardisoncontinued from page 5

and brings 11 years of coaching experience as an assistant atIllinois State, UALR and Iowa State. In addition, he has guided15 players who have competed professionally overseas.

“We are so excited about Daniyal and his family joining theUniversity of Houston. He possesses all the qualities you lookfor in an assistant coach – loyalty, integrity, character and workethic,” Dickey said. “He is an outstanding recruiter and hasdeveloped contacts throughout the country. As an excellent com-municator and teacher on the floor, he has had tremendous rap-port with the players with whom he has coached. Daniyal hasworked for outstanding coaches, and I look forward to the dif-

ferent philosophies he will bring to our program.” Rounding out the staff will be Ulric Maligi. Maligi joins the

Cougar program after serving for three seasons (2007-10) as anassistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. There, he was involved inall phases of the daily operation of the men’s basketball pro-gram, including on-the-floor coaching, recruiting, academicmonitoring and opponent scouting.

“Ulric is a bright young coach and recruiter with tremendousenthusiasm for the game. He has developed very strong relation-ships in Houston, Dallas, the state of Texas and across the coun-try,” Dickey said. “Ulric has great personal and professionalqualities, and his ability to relate to players will be a terrificasset to our program.”

Edisoncontinued from page 5

al 4A and 5A schools this season.Kaylee Garner has wrung up 189 strikeouts this

season, while Kristen Yaeger (98) and ChelseyClawson (12) are also tough to hit.

Danbury is 26-4 on the season.Cypress Falls In The Midst Of A Turnaround

The Cy Falls Golden Eagles’ softball team wasa disappointment in 2009 with a 9-16 overallrecord and missing the playoffs for the secondconsecutive season.

With largely the same ros-ter back for the 2010 season,Cy Falls is currently 19-2overall and 8-1 in District 15-5A.

Other Houston area girlssoftball teams faring well atmidseason include Tomball(18-6, 8-1), Klein (14-5, 7-2),Klein Collins (17-7, 6-3), TheWoodlands (27-1, 10-0),MacArthur (9-4, 7-0),Kingwood (20-5, 6-1),Bellaire (25-4, 7-0), Lamar(20-6, 7-1), Pearland (19-5,9-0), Clements (25-4, 12-0),Elkins (19-8, 11-1) and Alvin(12-5, 6-1).

Baseballcontinued from page 5

CLASSIFIED

Notice of Availability Final EnvironmentalImpact Statement (US 290)

Public Notice of Availability Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): Pursuantto Title 43, Texas Administrative Code, §2.5(e)(8)(B), the Texas Department ofTransportation (TxDOT) is advising the public of the availability of the FEIS for pro-posed improvements to the US 290 Corridor, from Farm-to-Market (FM) 2920 nearthe community of Waller, Texas to Interstate Highway (IH) 610 in Houston, HarrisCounty, Texas. The FEIS wait period ends May 17, 2010. Comments regarding theFEIS should be submitted to the Director of Project Development at the TxDOTHouston District Office located at 7600 Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas priorto 5:00 p.m. on May 17, 2010. The TxDOT mailing address is P.O. Box 1386, Houston,Texas 77251.

The US 290 study corridor extends approximately 38 miles from FM 2920 near thecommunity of Waller to the US 290/ IH 610/IH 10 interchanges area in Houston,and includes Hempstead Road from approximately Beltway (BW) 8 to IH 610. Ingeneral, the proposed project evaluated includes the following roadway improve-ments: additional general-purpose lanes on US 290 and reconstruction of US 290frontage roads; a managed lane (toll) facility along the US 290 corridor from BauerRoad to BW 8, and continuing along Hempstead Road from BW 8 to IH 610;frontage roads (Hempstead Road) adjacent to managed lanes from BW 8 to IH 610;direct connectors from US 290 and the managed lanes to IH 610 and IH 10 via theNorthwest Transit Center; and a reserved high-capacity transit corridor along US290 from future Grand Parkway/State Highway 99 to BW 8, and along HempsteadRoad from BW 8 to IH 610. The purpose of the proposed action is to reduce trafficcongestion in the US 290 Corridor within Harris County, improve level of serviceand mobility on US 290 and Hempstead Road, and bring the roadway facilities upto current design standards, all of which will help to improve safety. The alterna-tives that were identified and evaluated include various configurations of thelocally preferred modal alternative identified in the major investment study (MIS);alternative alignments for proposed improvements along US 290, HempsteadRoad, and IH 610 (to provide for direct connectors); and doing nothing beyondwhat is already planned or programmed. Throughout the development of alterna-tives, efforts were made to avoid potential impacts to existing residential, commer-cial, and public properties, and other developed areas. Four alternatives weredeveloped for the US 290 portion of the project. Five alternatives were developedfor the Hempstead Road Corridor. Three alternatives were developed for IH 610 tointegrate with the US 290 and Hempstead Road alternatives. The US 290,Hempstead Road, and IH 610 alternatives were evaluated at a comparable level ofdetail in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Based on environmen-tal, planning, and engineering considerations, and public and agency input, aRecommended alternative was identified for the US 290, Hempstead Road, and IH610 areas of the project. Subsequent to the DEIS public hearings, theRecommended alternative was modified to incorporate suggestions made by thepublic and agencies, and revised designs. The FEIS contains the evaluation of thePreferred alternative and the No Build alternative, and provides a summary of thealternatives considered and evaluated during the MIS and DEIS studies.

The Recommended alternative as presented in the DEIS, was selected after carefulconsideration and assessment of the potential environmental impacts and evalu-ation of agency and public comments. After consideration of all agency and pub-lic comments received on the DEIS, as well as updated environmental data,TxDOT,in coordination with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), selected a Preferredalternative alignment. It was determined after careful review of the DEIS com-ments that the Recommended alternative as presented in the DEIS be carried for-ward as the Preferred alternative. The Preferred alternative has the same generalconfiguration as the Recommended alternative, with some changes in the numberof proposed main lanes on US 290: 12 lanes from West 34th Street to PinemontDrive (revised from 10 lanes), 12 lanes from FM 529 to Eldridge Parkway (revisedfrom 10 lanes), and 10 lanes from Eldridge Parkway to Telge Road (revised fromeight lanes). Some direct connector and access ramp modifications were alsorevised. The other major change in the Preferred alternative is the relocation of thetransit reserve from north of the managed lanes along Hempstead Road tobetween the managed lanes and the Union Pacific railroad, from BW 8 to IH 610.

The Preferred build alternative that has resulted from the study was proposed onthe basis of its ability to best facilitate the project's Need and Purpose, while mini-mizing impacts to the natural, physical, and social environments. The Preferredbuild alternative begins at FM 2920 and ends at the US 290/IH 610/IH 10 inter-changes area in Houston, and includes Hempstead Road from approximately BW 8to IH 610. It is approximately 38 miles in length. The Preferred alternative wouldrequire the acquisition of new right-of-way (ROW) (approximately 780 acres), theadjustment of utility lines, and the filling of aquatic resources including jurisdic-tional wetlands (18.63 acres, based on the preliminary determination, to be veri-fied by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). The Preferred alternative as presented inthe FEIS would displace 87 single-family residences, 225 multi-family residentialunits, 134 businesses, and 16 mini-storage units along US 290, and 49 single-fami-ly residences and 224 businesses along Hempstead Road. Single-family residencesthat would be displaced are primarily in Oak Forest and White Oak Falls neighbor-hoods. Several mobile home communities would be impacted. The multi-familyunits that would be displaced are in Creekwood,Vintage,Wynnewood at Wortham,The Promenade, Carrington Place, and Stonehaven apartment complexes. The US290 portion of the Preferred alternative would require the relocation of twochurches (St. Peter’s Anglican and Celebration Lutheran Church), and several areaswith pipeline transfer facilities and pipeline equipment. The Hempstead Road por-tion of the Preferred alternative would require the relocation of the Christ FamilyChurch, a Southwestern Bell facility, and the Precision Emergency Medical Services(EMS) station. The archeological survey is incomplete because right-of-entry (ROE)was denied by several landowners to parcels in the proposed ROW. The archeolog-ical survey will remain incomplete until ROE to the remaining proposed ROW hasbeen acquired. TxDOT coordinated the archeological survey report, recommend-ed that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process be allowed to pro-ceed and the archeological inventory be deferred until ROE or the parcels in ques-tion have been acquired. Once ROE or the parcels have been acquired, the arche-ological survey of the remainder of the area of potential effect will be completed,as well as any coordination/consultation that is required, prior to commencingwith construction. If archeological sites are identified within the Selected alterna-tive, additional investigations may be necessary to determine if they are eligible fornomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). If unanticipatedarcheological deposits are encountered during construction, work in the immedi-ate area will cease, and TxDOT archeological staff will be contacted to initiate post-review discovery procedures under the provisions of the ProgrammaticAgreement–Transportation Undertakings (PA-TU) and Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU). If any site identified by archeological field survey withinthe Selected alternative is found to be eligible for the NRHP, actions and consulta-tion will be initiated to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse effects to that site. Ifan NRHP-eligible site cannot be avoided in the final design process, consultationwill include development of a mitigation plan.The mitigation plan will be developed and reviewed by TxDOT in consultation withthe Texas Historical Commission and FHWA. Design modifications may be suffi-cient to reduce the severity of the effect to a non-adverse level. Mitigation ofunavoidable adverse effects typically includes archeological data recovery and fullarchival documentation. Section 4(f ) coordination will only be performed forarcheological sites warranting preservation in place. No historic properties orendangered species are expected to be affected.

Copies of the FEIS and DEIS (both electronic and paper) and other informationabout the project may be obtained, at the cost of reproduction, by contacting theDirector of Project Development, TxDOT Houston District Office at 713-802-5243.The FEIS and DEIS may also be reviewed at the following locations: (1) TxDOTDistrict Office, 7600 Washington Avenue, Houston,TX 77007; (2) TxDOT Area Office,14838 Northwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77040; (3) US 290 Program Office, 2950North Loop West, Suite 1150, Houston, TX 77092; (4) Spring Branch Library, 930Corbindale, Houston, TX 77027; (5) Fairbanks Library, 7122 North Gessner Road,Houston, TX 77040; (6) Cy-Fair Library, 9191 Barker-Cypress Road, Cypress,TX 77433; (7) Collier Regional Library, 6200 Pinemont Drive, Houston, TX 77092; (8)Hillendahl Library, 2436 Gessner Road, Houston, TX 77080; (9) M. Smith MemorialLibrary, 2103 Main Street, Waller, TX 77484; (10) Northwest Library, 11355 RegencyGreen Drive, Cypress, TX 77429; (11) Hockley Community Center, 28515 OldWashington Road, Hockley,TX 77447; and (12) Houston Library Central Branch, 500McKinney, Houston, TX 77002. An electronic version of the FEIS and DEIS may bereviewed or downloaded from the US 290 Program Office website atwww.my290.com.

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOLDISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

The Houston Independent School District located in the Hattie Mae White EducationalSupport Center at 4400 West 18th Street Houston,Texas 77092 will accept proposals, until thestated date and time deadlines, in the Board Services Office, Level C1 ‘

• Project 10-04-06 Groundwater Remediation at Barnett with a proposal deadline of 2 P.M.April 28, 2010. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be held in conference room2C12 at HISD Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 West 18th StreetHouston, TX 77092 on April 20, 2010 at 10 A.M.

• RFP/ Trainer for “The Leader in Me” Program for Stevenson Elementary with a deadline of 2P.M. on May 5, 2010. The pre-proposal conference is Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 3 P.M. inRoom 2C06 of the above stated address.

• Project 10-03-12 – RFP – Mural Painting - with a deadline of 10 A.M. April 28, 2010. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be in Room 2C04 at the above stated address onApril 21, 2010 at 10 A.M.

Proposals are available on the HISD web-site at www.houstonisd.org.The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or, to accept the proposal that is

most advantageous to the District.Scwyana Smith

The Houston Defender Newspaper published by

The Houston Defender Inc. Company (713) 663-6996. The Defender audited

by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC).For subscriptions, send $60.00 — 1year, to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005,Houston, TX 77288. Payment must

accompany subscription request. Allmaterials covered by 2009 copyright...(No material herein may be reproducedwithout the written permission of the

publisher).

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 25APRIL 18 – 24, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad WalkerLaGloria Wheatfall

WebmasterCorneleon Block

TSUcontinued from page 5

Sunday April 18 ■ Football Team attends ChurchServices- 11:45 am Brook Hollow Church

Monday April 19 ■ Community Outreach Texas ChildrenHospital-10:00 am ■ Football seniors vs. TSU FootballCoaches Basketball Game 6:00pm-7:30pm

Tuesday April 20 ■ Literacy in the Elementary Schools(KIPP Academy) 9:00am-10:30am ■ Pool Party Recreation Center (Cover $2)-8pm-12midnight

Wednesday April 21 ■ Ice Cream Social (Tiger Walk/Pitt) -12noon-1:00pm ■ TSU Volleyball Girls vs. TSU FootballSeniors Volleyball Game 6:30pm-8:00pm HPE

Thursday April 22 ■ Toga Party ($2 cover) Café-9:00pm-1:00am

Friday April 23 ■ 50 yard line BBQ & Season TicketHolder Drive Durley Stadium 5:00pm

Saturday April 24 ■ Tailgate Party/ Crawfish Boil-12:00pm Durley Stadium ■ Traditional Maroon and Grey GameDurley Stadium-3:30pm

Football Week Activities

voter turnout by 10 to 11 percent but says it will vary by politicalrace in each state.

“There are some candidates who are willing to motivate Blackvoters to come back out to the polls just like they did in 2008 forBarack Obama. and there are other candidates who will notinspire African-Americans to vote,” Jensen says.

“It’s very clear that African-Americans are paying attention towhat is going on right now,” says Dr. David Bositis, director ofthe JCPES poll. “They’re very supportive of President Obamaand issues related to climate change. They take those issues veryseriously.”

The majority of respondents said they believe the Senate shouldpass legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before thenext election. This is an issue that some relate to increase in jobsand reduction of the Black unemployment rate.

“Republicans will lose votes that they could possibly win fromBlacks, the young, and working class Americans if this issue issuccessfully framed as boosting America’s stagnant economy,”says Katherine Tate, University of California Irvine professor andauthor of the upcoming book, What’s Going On? PoliticalIncorporation and the Transformation of Black Opinion.

Tate says the environment has never been aggressively linkedto the Black political agenda. She attributes the strong interest toAl Gore’s leadership as vice president to his interest in the envi-

ronment for which he has since received the Nobel Peace Prize.Now, President Obama has successfully linked his green policieswith job creation.

The majority of the polled African-Americans said they wouldpay an additional $10 per month on their electric bill to curb glob-al warming. More than a quarter said they would pay up to $25per month. Despite a tumultuous economy and high unemploy-ment rates, respondents were clear on their willingness to make afinancial commitment.

In closely contested races, the need for candidates to be in tunewith the issues important to their constituency will be ever press-ing. Despite the strong interest in environmental issues, they willnot take priority.

“Voters of all stripes say that their number one thing is jobs andthe economy,” Jensen says. “What is going to be most importantfor Democrats to get across is that putting the Republicans backin charge is not going to make things better, but the policiespressed in Obama’s pursuit will take some time to really make animpact.”

According to Jensen, Democrats will ultimately need to be suc-cessful beyond Black voters and push more than green issues.

“There are still many, many more White people in the countrythan Black people. If Democrats completely lose the White vot-ers like 70-30—and that’s what we’re seeing in some races—then it’s not going to matter how many African-Americansturnout,” Jensen says. “The democrats will still lose.”

APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDER 7

Major League Baseball and the Houston Astroscontributed $600,000 to the construction of theHouston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy atSylvester Turner Park, which equaled the contri-butions by both the City of Houston and the TexasParks and Wildlife Department.

Houston native Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLBExecutive Vice-President of Baseball Operations,was pleased that Baseball’s second academy isopening in Houston.

“I’m very excited to have this facility openinghere in Houston, in Acres Homes,” Solomonshared. “There is need everywhere, need in allcities and many urban areas. Major LeagueBaseball, the Houston Astros and StateRepresentative Sylvester Turner, a longtimefriend of mine from law school, were all able toget together along with Commissioner Selig’sguidance and put our collective money where ourmouth was. As a result we were able to put a facil-ity right in the heart of an area that really neededhelp, needed service and needed sports, neededbaseball.”

Needless to say the Houston Astros are excited

to be a part of this historic venture.“The Houston Astros have had many signifi-

cant days on the field,” said Drayton McLane,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, HoustonAstros. “Today is a very significant day off thefield. We are so proud and honored to have part-nered with the City of Houston and Major LeagueBaseball to make the Astros MLB Urban YouthAcademy at Sylvester Turner Park a reality. Thisacademy provides an excellent opportunity forour team to make a positive difference in the com-munity by making the great sports of baseball andsoftball available to our aspiring young athletesyear-round. You learn so much more than justskills of the game when you play a team sport,and we want to ensure these kids are championson and off the field!”

State Rep. Sylvester Turner was a picture ofelation at the grand opening.

“In 2006 this was 29 acres of weeds and trees.It had a name on it and little else,” Turner recalled.“People can’t imagine the transformation. Thingscan happen if you can visualize it, work hard onit, don’t give up and utilize relationships andassets at your disposal. You can transform little ofnothing into something, dreams do come true!”

Astroscontinued from page 1

Photo: Stephen P. O'Brien

2010 Houston Astros. Houston Urban Youth Academy grand opening at SylvesterTurner Park.

Black Voterscontinued from page 1

Beaus D'ral Thomas, Gregory Joseph, Ivan Butler and Tyrie Goodman

Beaus Jeremy Simmons, Ronald Bookman, AdrianJohnson and Jahlil Smith

Beaus Robert Timmons, Daniel Mitchell, Patrick Smith and Ashton Grisby

Roderick Green and Errol Allen II

Rickey Brown and Michael Williams

Larry Green, David Cheri and Tony Pierce

2010 BEAUTILLION……..The AlphaMerit Group Educational Foundationpresented their 2010 Alpha MeritBeautillion Gala at the Hyatt RegencyHotel. This stellar event has becomeHouston’s premier event where college-bound young men are spotlighted andhave their accomplishments highlightedas they receive well-earned scholarships.The 12 young men honored at theSeventh Biennial Beautillion ScholarshipGala included Beaus Ronald BookmanJr., Ivan Butler, Tyrie Goodman,Ashton Grisby, Adrian Johnson,Gregory Joseph II, Daniel Mitchell,Jeremy Simmons, Jahil Smith, PatrickSmith, D’ral Thomas and RobertTimmons II. The brothers of Alpha PhiAlpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha EtaLambda Chapter are to be commendedfor their dedication, especially MichaelA. Williams, Chairman and Co-Chairmen, Errol Allen II and RoderickGreen. Spotted at the event wereRickey Brown, Larry Green, DavisCheri, Tony Pierce, Curtis Cooper,Prince Cartwright, Kristan Allen,Turylah Jenkins, Kay Rosebure,Kathy Allen, Margaret, ByronGautier, Levonne Harrell and FredTurner. Congratulations and continuedsuccess!.........MULTI-HUE OF ELE-GANCE………One hundred and sixtytables, ten to a table, equals one thou-sand, six hundred well-dressed folks whoattended the 17th Annual Callie Lewis-Watson Scholarship Luncheon &Fashion Show featuring the Forty PlusModels. The catwalk scene includedhats, accessories, casual, church, busi-ness, vintage, red carpet and cocktailfashions. In addition to several scholar-ships awarded to students, the 2009-2010Queen Renita Royal and King AlfredMoody gave their farewell salute and the2010-2011 was crowned. Queen AnnetteChenevert and King Dr. AlbertLemons took their walk down the run-way to an electrifying crowd. Some ofthe program participants and guestsincluded Callie Lewis-Watson, founder,the Honorable Sylvester Turner,Sharron Melton, Mary Reescano,Allyson Buckner, Miss Black Houston,Lola Burkley-Davis, Cheryl Rivers,Ruby Jones, Earline Davis, RuthSmith, Constable Ruben and SharonDavis and Allen Owen, Mayor ofMissouri City, to name a few. FabulousLuncheon!.....WEDDING BLISS……Olethia EliseChisolm and Alan La Naire McKenziewere united in marriage recently.Apostle Joyce James was the officiatingminister and the beautiful ceremony washeld at the University of Houston’s ADBruce Religion Center, followed by alavish reception at Rice University’sCohen House Faculty Club. The couplewill honeymoon in Hawaii. Wishing youa beautiful future made up on one happyday after another. God Bless!..................KUDOS…….Harris CountyCommissioner El Franco Lee wasrecently honored with an appreciationreception for his 25 years of service,dedication and commitment to the con-stituency of Precinct One…….Rev. Dr.F. N. Williams Sr. was honored by theWomen of Antioch Missionary BaptistChurch for his service of 52 years as thepastor of this historic church……..TheBlack Nurses of Greater Houston cele-brated 62 years of service and honoredGeorgia Provost with the CommunityLeader award at their AnnualScholarship Luncheon…..The YMCAhonored 21 of Houston’s best and bright-est at their 42nd Annual MinorityAchievers Gala that included TarnishaAdams, William Campbell, ConoshuraCauley, Crystal Cooper, Tiffany Dean,Robert Gallegos, Catina Hayes, KellyHodges, Carla Lane, Cynthia Lenton-Gray, Laura Murillo, Danny Nguyen,Anthony Odubele, Robert Pettit, LacyReynolds, Terrynce Robinson, ClaraRussell, Neeta Sane, Ahmad Traylor,Marion Scott and Rev. Dr. KalvinSpells. Continued success to all ofyou!.........Have a great week and remem-ber to watch CROSSROADS onChannel 13 Sunday morning withMelanie Lawson for your event coveredby Ms. Chag. Also check out our web-site at defendernetwork.com to viewthe “Event of the Week.”…..FromChag’s Place to your place, CiaoDarling!

8 APRIL 18 – 24, 2010 | DEFENDER

Byron Gautier and Levonne Harrell

2010-2011 King Dr. Albert Lemonsand Queen Annette Chenevert

Prince Cartwright and Fred Turner

Cheryl Rivers and Ruby JonesDr. Albert Lemons and Callie Lewis-Watson

2009-2010 King Alfred Moody and Queen Renita Royal

Mayor Allen Owen and Sharon and Constable Ruben Davis

Olethia and Alan McKenzieDr. Grace Butler and Pompia Durril

Earline Davis and Ruth Smith

Wanda Carter and Troy Taylor