RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’Tommy Wyat tTommy Wyat tTommy Wyat tTommy Wyat tTommy Wyat t

Vol. 36 No. 52 Website: theaustinvillager.com Email: vil3202@aol.com Phone: 512-476-0082 Fax: 512-476-0179 May 29, 2009

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Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949

This paper canbe recycled

Honoring The VictimsOf Slavery And The Trans-At-lantic Slave Trade

New York, NY - May20, 2009 – American entrepre-neur, hip-hop and fashionpioneer, Russell Simmonswill be appointed as the“Goodwill Ambassador ForThe Permanent Memorial ToHonor The Victims Of SlaveryAnd The Trans-AtlanticSlave Trade” at the UnitedNations Headquarters inNew York, on Wednesday,20 May 2009 at 10:00 a.m. Thehour-long ceremony will alsodouble as the official launchof the Trust Fund for the Per-manent Memorial which willacknowledge and benefit oneof the most profoundly tragicperiods in the history of hu-mankind.

“It’s humbling to be in-vited to join the UN Commu-nity in this role as GoodwillAmbassador. In recognizingthe past, we understand thestakes in ensuring that some-thing as devastating to thehuman condition as theTrans-Atlantic Slave Tradewill never happena g a i n , ” s t a t e d R u s s e l lSimmons. “My commitmentin life is to be of service to theempowerment of youngpeople living in struggle, whoundoubtedly have been ef-fected by this legacy. I look tothe future with inspirationand faith as we work everyday to bring freedom andequality to all young peoplearound the world.”

Co-hosted by the Per-manent Mission of Jamaica tothe United Nations, the Mem-ber States of the CaribbeanCommunity (CARICOM), theAfrican Union (AU) and incollaboration with the UNOffice for Partnerships andthe UN Department for Pub-lic Information, the eventaims to re-engage the atten-tion of the international com-munity on the horrific natureof slavery, the Trans-Atlanticslave trade and its legacy ofdiscrimination.

“We feel Mr. Simmonsis an ideal candidate to es-pouse the broader conceptand objectives of the initiativeto erect this permanent memo-rial,” said AmbassadorRaymond O. Wolfe, Jamaica’sPermanent Representative tothe United Nations andChairman of the PermanentMemorial Committee.Simmons, voted among USA

UNITED NATIONS TO APPOINTRUSSELL SIMMONS

GOODWILL AMBASSADORFOR THE

PERMANENT MEMORIALToday’s ‘Top 25 Most Influ-ential People of the Past 25years’, “was an easy choice,”he added.

Ambassador LilaRatsifandrihamanana of theAfrican Union highlightedthe commitment of Africancountries to the initiative re-ferring to a decision taken atthe 12th Assembly of Headsof State and Governmentwhich “recognizes the endur-ing and tragic impact of slavetrade as a crime against hu-manity on the African peopleand its generations.”

Best known as a lead-ing entrepreneur and hip-hop pioneer, RussellSimmons’ groundbreakingvision has influenced musicand the recording industry,fashion, jewelry, finance, tele-vision and film, as well as theface of modern philanthropy.As Chairman and CEO ofRush Communications, hehas consistently leveragedhis influence in the mediaand popular culture to ben-efit and acknowledge disad-vantaged communities. A de-voted yogi, Simmons alsoleads the non-profit divisionof his organization, RushCommunity Affairs, ensuringits ongoing efforts to em-power at-risk youth throughthe arts (Rush PhilanthropicArts Foundation), social en-gagement (Hip-Hop SummitAction Network), and highereducation for Africa (Dia-mond Empowerment Fund).

Mr. Simmons, a na-tive New Yorker and theproud father of two daugh-ters, is also the Chairman ofthe Foundation for EthnicUnderstanding, dedicated tobringing all religions andethnicities together. He alsoserves on the Board of Direc-tors of several organizations,including Petra Nemcova’sHappy Hearts Fund, and isinvolved in numerous causeinitiatives to empower peopleto be aware of and embracetheir full potential.

The Permanent Memo-rial, honoring the memory ofthe victims of slavery, will beadministered through the Per-manent Memorial Fund bythe UN Office for Partner-ships (UNOP).

Completion date forthe Permanent Memorial isset for 2012. So far, the Fundhas received $250,000 of theprojected $3.5 m cost from25 of the 122 Member States,co-sponsors of the UnitedNations General AssemblyResolution 63/5.

For more informationabout the Initiative and Mr.Simmons please contact Ms.Annette Richardson, Per-manent Memorial ProjectManager at 1+ (212) 963-1000 or via email atpartner@un.org

VILLAGER CELEBRATES 36TH ANNIVERSARYWITH AUSTIN URBAN MARKET

With this issue, TheVILLAGER will celebrate its36th Anniversary as“Austin’s Community Ser-vice Weekly.” It was in Mayof 1973 that the first issue ofthe newspaper rolled off thepress.

For the second year,The VILLAGER will host acommunity festival featur-ing some of the areas Afri-can American vendors. Theevent will be held Saturday,June 6, 2009 on the groundsof the newspaper at 1223Rosewood Avenue, from 10a.m. to 3 p.m.

This event will be co-ordinated by Don andSharon Ellerby, owners ofAfrican Visions. They haveinvited a number of theirfellow vendors to partici-pate in this event. The ideaof the Austin Urban market,according to the Ellerbys is“Doing it the Ujamaa Way.”Cooperative economics hasbeen acknowledged as away to grow all of our Afri-can American businesses.

The Urban Marketwill feature food, music,handmade jewelry, AfricanVisions hair & skin care,

African American Books &Accessories, Purses and more.Last years festival was so suc-cessful that we decided to do itagain. “Opening up ourgrounds to the Eastside busi-ness community is our way ofgiving back,” says Villagerpublisher T. L. (Tommy)Wyatt.

The entire community isinvited to come out to the Aus-tin Urban Market and supportour community, home grown,businesses. The event is free tothe public. For further informa-tion call (512) 785-7045. Allvendors are welcome.

(L to r) Villager Publisher T. L. Wyatt, Don and Sharon Ellerby and Michael Lofton is shown atlast years event. File photo.

Thank youAustin!!!“Time flies when you

are having fun.” How manytime have you heard that state-ment? Well, take it from me,the statement is absolutely. Itis hard to believe that, withthis issue, we have completed36 years of publishing The Vil-lager. Who would havethought in 1973 that we wouldstill be around 36 years later.There have been a number ofAfrican American ownednewspapers that started anddied since that time. But oursupporters in Austin havemade sure that we survived.

We have seen the goodtimes and the bad times, eco-nomically, and we are stillstanding. When the economiccollapse came in the mid1980’s a lot of businessesfailed, including a number ofbanks in Austin. The bottomfell out of the Real Estate mar-ket and business failure washigh in all areas. We are nowin the midst of our latest eco-nomic downturn and strug-gling to survive.

We are happy to bearound to celebrate anotheranniversary. We will be doingit quietly, but believe me, weare celebrating. And we arehappy that many of our localbusinesses have decided tocelebrate with us. We are allhappy to still be around. Anda special thanks go out to Donand Sharon Ellerby for agree-ing to coordinate the AustinUrban Market. This is the sec-ond such project and we arelooking at ways of making it aregular event.

It is going to be very im-portant for our businesses topull together for their survival.And we will need the contin-ued support of the communityto insure the economic sur-vival of these businesses. Itwill be the responsibility of ourbusiness community to em-ploy many of the unemployedin our community. The highrate of unemployment in ourcommunity can be directly tiedto the loss of our businesses.

It has been the role ofthe African American commu-nity to hire the chronically un-employed, and underem-ployed in our community. Be-cause, we have such a largegroup of our citizens on paper(have criminal records or onprobation), we have been theonly ones willing to hire themuntil they can get a better job.We do this because they arepart of our family. If we do nothelp them, who will?

Our focus during thenext few months will be to seewhat we can do about reduc-ing the unemployment rate inthe community. If we can dothis, a lot of our other prob-lems will go away.

Together we can makethis happen. So get on boardfor year 37.

Filibuster Unlikely Against 1st HispanicAppointed to Supreme Court

Sonia Sotomayor

By JULIE HIRSCHFELDDAVIS, Associated PressWriter Julie Hirschfeld Davis,Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Thetop Republican on the SenateJudiciary Committee saidWednesday he doesn't fore-see a filibuster against Su-preme Court nominee SoniaSotomayor, even though hethinks her legal philosophyshould be closely examined.

"The nominee has seri-ous problems," Sen. Jeff Ses-sions said in a nationallybroadcast interview. "But Iwould think that we wouldall have a good hearing, takeour time, and do it right. Andthen the senators cast theirvote up or down based onwhether or not they think thisis the kind of judge thatshould be on the court."

"I don't sense a filibus-ter in the works," the AlabamaRepublican said, after Presi-dent Barack Obama's call forthe Senate to install his his-tory-making choice of the 54-year-old Sotomayor to suc-ceed Justice David Souter onthe high court. She would bethe first Hispanic justice toserve there.

The GOP faces an up-hill battle in defeating theNew York-born daughter ofPuerto Rican parents, but Re-publicans are promising athorough and perhapslengthy hearing process thatdelves into her record and ju-dicial philosophy.

Democrats hold 59votes in the Senate, more thanenough to confirm Sotomayorbut not quite enough to stop avote-blocking filibuster if Re-

publicans should attemptone. Still, seven Republicansenators currently servingbacked Sotomayor's 1998nomination to the appealscourt covering New York,Vermont and Connecticut,and she was first nominatedto be a federal judge by Re-publican President GeorgeH.W. Bush.

Sessions was amongseveral Republicans who op-posed her when she came be-fore the Senate as a nomineefor the U.S. Court of Appealsin 1998. On Tuesday, he said:"We ought to look at herrecord fresh."

Any Republican effortto block Sotomayor's confir-mation could be risky for aparty still reeling from lastear's elections and strugglingto gain back lost ground withHispanics, the fastest-grow-ing part of the populationand one that is increasinglyactive politically.

Sotomayor's personalstory and her academic andlegal credentials earn her re-spect from all quarters, butconservatives see plenty tocriticize in her rulings andpast statements. They de-scribe her as a judicial activ-

ist who would put her feel-ings above the Constitution.

Sotomayor has saidthat personal experiences "af-fect the facts that judgeschoose to see."

"I simply do not knowexactly what the differencewill be in my judging," shesaid in a speech in 2001. "ButI accept there will be somebased on my gender and myLatina heritage."

The White House andits allies, including Hispanicgroups with broad reach intocommunities throughout thecountry, are readying a majorpush to persuade more GOPsenators to back her confir-mation.

A coalition of liberalgroups calling itself the Cen-ter for Constitutional Rightslaunched a television adWednesday toutingSotomayor as principled, fair-minded and independent.The ad, which will air onbroadcast and cable net-works, overlays Obama'svoice with pictures ofSotomayor, and is intended toframe public perceptions ofthe judge.

"It's important that theyunderstand her fair-mindedapproach to the law, whichis grounded both in her emi-nent legal qualifications andher life experiences," saidWade Henderson, a co-chairof the group.

Sotomayor would joinRuth Bader Ginsburg as thesecond woman on the courtand just the third in its his-tory. She would replace lib-eral Justice David Souter,

The Austin city councilmet on May 18 2009 to hold aspecial canvassing meeting.During the meeting, resolu-tion 20090518-001 was a writ-ten to approve the result of theMay 9 city election. Further-more, the May 9 city wide voteled to the election of Lee

Leffingwell as mayor,

Snapshot at the Austin City Councilafter Brewster McCraken whohad the second highest votewithdrew from runoff ; ChrisRiley as council member forplace 1; Mike Martinez ascouncil member for place 2;Bill Spellman as council mem-ber for place 5; and Sheryl

See Council Page 5 See Court Page 5

EDITORIALS/COMMENTARYEditorial, Commentary or Letter to the Editor Fax to 512.476.0179 Email to vil3202@aol.com Mail to 1223-A Rosewood Avenue, 78702

Page 2/THE VILLAGER/May 29, 2009

George E. CurryNNPA ColumnistTo many Blacks who

grew up in the Deep Southbefore the passage of the 1964Civil Rights Act, last week’selection of James Young as thefirst African-American mayorof Philadelphia, Miss. was asmonumental as the election ofPresident Barack Obama.

The Mississippi soil issoaked in the blood of civilrights activists. Three of themost famous – James Chaney,a 21-year old African-Ameri-can from Meridian, Miss.; An-drew Goodman, 20, a WhiteJewish student from NewYork and Michael Schwerner,24, another White also fromNew York – were murdered45 years ago near Philadel-phia. Their story inspired themovie, “Mississippi Burn-ing.”

Their lives were any-thing but a movie.

All three were partici-pating in Freedom Summer, aBob Moses-inspired project tobring college-aged students tothe Magnolia state in 1964 todramatize social, economicand political injustice. Theyhad traveled 36 miles fromMeridian to Philadelphia,Miss. to investigate the recentburning of Mount ZionUnited Methodist Church,which had hosted many civilrights activities in the areabefore it was destroyed byfire.

Before the trio left Merid-ian on June 21, 1964, a de-scription of their blue, Fordstation wagon and its licenseplate number had been givento the White supremacist Citi-zens Council and the Ku KluxKlan. With Cheney behind thewheel, Neshoba CountyDeputy Sheriff Cecil Price, a

member of the KKK, flicked onhis flashing lights and pulledthe vehicle over. Chaney wasarrested for allegedly driving35 miles over the speed limitand his two companionswere held for further investi-gation. They were taken to thecounty jail in Philadelphia.

Cheney was fined $20and all three were releasedlate that night and ordered toleave the county. Prior to let-ting them go, however,Deputy Sheriff Price notifiedhis fellow Klansmen, whoplotted to murder the men.Price followed the three civilrights workers to the edge oftown, pulled them over again,and detained them until KKKmembers arrived.

In a signed statement toFBI agents on November 20,1964, Horace Doyle Barnette,a witness, recounted:

“Before I could get outof the car Wayne [Roberts] ranpast my car to Price’s car,opened the left rear door,pulled Schwerner out of thecar, spun him around so thatSchwerner was standing onthe left side of the road, withhis back to the ditch and said‘Are you that nigger lover’and Schwerner said ‘Sir, Iknow just how you feel.’Wayne had a pistol in hisright hand, then shotSchwerner. Wayne then wentback to Price’s car and gotGoodman, took him to the leftside of the road withGoodman facing the road,and shot Goodman.

’’When Wayne shotSchwerner, Wayne had hishand on Schwerner’s shoul-der. When Wayne shotGoodman, Wayne was stand-ing within reach of him.Schwerner fell to the left sothat he was laying along sidethe road. Goodman spunaround and fell back towardthe bank in back.

’’At this time Jim Jordansaid ‘save one for me.’ He thengot out of Price’s car and gotChaney out. I rememberChaney backing up, facingthe road, and standing on thebank on the other side of theditch and Jordan stood in themiddle of the road and shothim. I do not remember howmany times Jordan shot. Jor-

dan then said. ‘You didn’tleave me anything but anigger, but at least I killed mea nigger.’”

A shaken PresidentLyndon B. Johnson orderedFBI Director J. Edgar Hoover,a vocal critic of civil rightsleaders, to investigate the dis-appearance of the three men.

The FBI offered a$25,000 reward. That led to atip about where the bodieswere buried. On August 4, thebodies were dug up about sixmiles from Philadelphia. Inthe process of searching forthe slain civil rights workers,the bodies of seven other ac-tivists were discovered.

The nation soonlearned how Mississippi jus-tice worked – or didn’t work.

Mississippi officials re-fused to press murdercharges, forcing the JusticeDepartment to prosecute sus-pects for conspiring to de-prive citizens of their civilrights. Seven men were foundguilty, including Deputy Sher-iff Cecil Price and KKK Impe-rial Wizard Samuel Bowers.

Although the sentenc-ing ranged from three to 10years, no one was imprisonedlonger than six years. EdgarRay Killen, the ringleader ofthe plot, was found guilty ofmanslaughter years later andsentenced to 60 years inprison. Bowers was later sen-tenced to life for the murderof civil rights activist VernonDahmer.

Mayor-elect young wasmindful of that bloody historyafter he defeated RayburnWaddell, the three-termWhite incumbent, by 46 votesin a city that is 55 percentWhite.

A tearful Young toldCNN, “The places where wewere locked out, I’m gonnahave the key. The places wecouldn’t go, I’ve got the key.No better way to say it thanthat.”

George E. Curry, formereditor-in-chief of Emergemagazine and the NNPANews Service, is a keynotespeaker, moderator, and me-dia coach. He can be reachedthrough his Web site,www.georgecurry.com.

From Murder to Miracle in Philadelphia, Mississippi

Oh, the games theyplay. A little media exposure,sound bites and a formal pub-lic relations campaign canhave the masses of African-Americans believing justabout anything.

Why do they do it? Tokeep business as usual or tomake some quick money atthe expense of those who canleast afford it. Let’s look atsome of the games.

Home Ownership: Wewere hit relentlessly thattimes were getting better forBlacks as homeownershipwas significantly rising. Boththe Clinton and Bush admin-istrations harped on this likea “mantra”. What we didn’tknow was that we were be-ing led down a path of preda-tory lending.

It was a trap that wasgoing to snare us big time. Infact, not only was it a game itwas program that was goingto set us back economicallyfor an entire generation. Thejive is up and our neighbor-hoods are racked with va-cancies, abandonment anddeprivation. It is going to takeus a good decade to make upfor the losses.

Minority Business Par-ticipation: I can write a bookon this one. For the sake ofspace, let’s focus in on the USAuto Industry that gave apledge back in the 1990’s todo over $1 billion dollarseach (annually) with Black-owned firms. They didn’t getnear that but what they didwas a scheme. They would

TTTTThe Games The Games The Games The Games The Games Thehehehehey Play Play Play Play Play on Blacky on Blacky on Blacky on Blacky on Blackssssshelp set up front companiesto charade that they were bigbusiness tycoons doing seri-ous business with the Big 3(Chrysler, General Motorsand Ford).

Oh yes, they wouldhave these guys on the cov-ers of magazines. They wouldgo around the nation andmake speeches and receiveawards for their accomplish-ments. There was a high con-centration on this in the truck-ing and steel industries.There would be an estab-lished White-owned com-pany doing the work but theywould simply put some“Black skin” on some of theoperations and shout thepraises. I did a test one timewith a major firm looking fora bona fide minority owntrucking company. I had theprocurement guy do a back-ground check on some ofthese celebrated “Black”trucking companies.

His report back to mewas no surprise. Every one ofthem was either a broker or arouse. “When you find a realtrucking firm that is Blackown send them to me”, heconcluded. There was alsothe “Black” steel company inNorthern Indiana. I took asurprise visit to it and foundan empty building void of anyactivity yet one of the Big 3listed it as a thriving enter-prise they were doing busi-ness with.

Then there are the celeb-rities that have suddenly be-come big entrepreneurs. Theyare all over the place owningthis and that and doing ev-erything at once.

Basically, they are justrenting their names for someshrewd White manipulatormaking the big bucks off ofBlack folk’s false perceptions.We need to cut the games.

Construction Unions:After 45 years of the CivilRights Act of 1964, construc-tion unions are as discrimi-natory now as they were then.They have ridden off the goodname of other unions whohave done the right thing and

opened their doors.They used this fact as a

cover for their Jim Crow ways.For the most part, too many ofour elected officials and lead-ers have fallen for this dupe.You will see some of ourpeople support Project LaborAgreements (union only con-struction projects) eventhough 98% of Black con-struction workers and con-struction companies are notin the unions.

It is “Economic Apart-heid” to quote PhiladelphiaMayor Nutter but yet toomany of our officials supportit through their ignorance. Itis time to wake up to thisshame.

Digital Television Tran-sition: There has been a bigscare about ending the televi-sion transmission on analogtelevision sets. Who do youknow that has an old analogtelevision with rabbit ears ontop? They have been longgone.

Just look around. But yetthey have us thinking that alot of us still have them. Why?They put up a billion dollarsin advertising and outreachmoney to address the “issue”.It is all about hustling upsome new money. Even theformer Federal Communica-tion Commission ChairmanKevin Martin spent $300,000of tax money placing an adon his favorite NASCAR ve-hicle. The car crashed withinminutes – what a waste! Thiswhole thing was contrived bygreedy K Street WashingtonLobbyists and public rela-tions firms. They used us toget the money allocated.

In sum, I guess we needto call out all of these shamsand hustles. No longer canwe just shake our heads andlet them get away with thelies. Perhaps we ought to forma Truth Commission andverify and control the amountof propaganda we receive.

Harry Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO ofthe National Black Chamberof Commerce. Website:www.nationalbcc.org.

Harry C. AlfordNNPA Columnist

Hope is an essential partof a strong mental health.Hope is a pillar which affectsyour whole mental and emo-tional outlook.

You may ask why ishope so important? It’s be-cause hope provides each ofus with insulation againstanxiety and depression. In aprevious column, I high-lighted that thoughts createour feelings. The thoughts weharbor can be powerful medi-cine for us. Hopeful thoughtsteach our hearts to persevere,to never give up, to seek thepossible inside of the impos-sible.

Hope is indispensible toour emotional well-being be-cause it prepares us for the in-evitable. Sooner or later, wewill experience setbacks.

And when life circum-stances knock us down, hopeis in the other room, planningour comeback. Hope looks atour setbacks opportunisti-cally. Hope recognizes thattalent can only take us so far.Lasting success is hammeredout on the anvil of maturecharacter. When we use our

By Dr. Dan CollinsNNPA Guest Columnist

challenges to shape our char-acter, we can view setbacksoptimistically: as a strategyfor resiliency and transforma-tion.

Hope is sassy. Hopehelps us to remember that thepower to change is an insidejob, and because of this, wecan look at any problem andsee it through the lens ofhope. We really don’t thinkabout hope unless it is juxta-posed against the backdrop ofdespair.

When we come acrosslife challenges that throw usinto an uncomfortable tug ofwar between our best self andour scary self, zigzagging be-tween hanging in and givingin, between believing but ask-ing God to help our unbelief,between standing sometimesin the bright sunshine of day-light, and at other times be-ing driven back into the onyxmidnight of disappointment.

The gift of hope is that ittakes the worse setbacks wecan experience and dares torise back up and defiantlysay, “I’ll find a way”. Hopenever allows our trials tohave the final word.

It’s rooted in the beliefthat the power to change andadapt to the demands thatconfront us, is hard-wired in-side of us. Hope is based onthe belief that with God’shelp, we can always find away, not only to make it, butto thrive, regardless of the situ-ation.

This brand of hope gen-erates great mental health,because it has an uncannyability to keep our outlookpositive despite the inconve-nience of hardship. Hope

makes a difference. Hopehelps us in three (3) importantways:

1. Hope Looks Beyond -Hope is transcendent, that is,it rises above our challengesand directs us to our greatergood. Hope refuses give up ontomorrow’s gain just becauseit causes us today’s pain.Hope doesn’t get boggeddown in negativity because itknows that a brighter day iscoming. Hope’s message isthat no matter how dark thenight, it has to say “uncle” tothe light of dawn.

2. Hope Looks Within -Good mental health is an in-side job. So when external cir-cumstances get cloudy, hopejust looks for the light within,that can never be shut off. In-side light, and inside strength,is light and strength we con-trol. We don’t control the uni-verse, but we do get to controlthe breath of our smiles.

3. Hope LooksThrough-Hope has x-ray vi-sion. It doesn’t stop when werun up against a wall. Hopejust sees through the problemuntil it discovers a solution.

4. Hope is a perspectivethat empowers us to nevergive up. Hope always looksfor the best. It never rests un-til it sees a problem transforminto a resource for healing andgrowth.

Dr. Dan Collins, a li-censed psychologist and or-dained minister, is author ofthe bestselling book, “TheTrauma Zone: Trusting Godfor Emotional Healing.” Visithim at www.drdan7.com toview sample chapters of hisbook.

Why Hope HealsWhy Hope HealsWhy Hope HealsWhy Hope HealsWhy Hope Heals

A. Peter BaileyNNPA ColumnistThe skillful, sharp, ruth-

less political instincts thathelped win the presidency ofthe United States for BarackObama seem to be slippingnow that he is in office. Hisdefensive and ambiguous re-sponses to three major issues- the budget, torture as officialU.S. policy, abortion in aspeech at Notre Dame Uni-versity - led me to this conclu-sion.

On the budget, Presi-dent Obama, like nearly allthe economists, journalists,politicians of both partieswho write about or speak onthe subject, never discuss theimpact of spending billions ofdollars monthly on two warsof choice have on the budget.They blamed bad mortgages,mismanagement, healthcareand social security costs etc.but almost completely ignorethe costs of fighting two wars,thus giving the impression ofnon-partisan agreement tokeep the public ignorant onthe subject. Maybe the politi-cians, Democrats and Repub-

licans, don’t want the publicto know about the war profi-teers who are raking in manymillions of dollars on thosewars because those sameprofiteers are major contribu-tors to their political cam-paigns. For instance, one mili-tary contractor was reportedly“paid $83.4 million in bo-nuses for electrical work inIraq.”

In a February 2008 ar-ticle, Travis Sharp, a militarypolicy analyst for the Centerfor Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, wrote that “af-ter five years and five hun-dred billion dollars spent onthe Iraq, war Congress mustfight in 2008 to prevent Presi-dent Bush from using the warbudget to handcuff it, and thenext president, in 2009.”

One the use of torture asofficial U.S. policy, it is a com-plete waste of time and energyto try to convince the Ameri-can public that such a policyviolates the U.S. Constitutionand long-standing interna-tional law or is morallywrong.

After 9/11 most peoplein this country don’t give ahoot about such consider-ations. The only argumentthat may give them pauseabout supporting torture asofficial U.S. policy - one thatPresident Obama, as far as Iknow, has refused to make -is that some day, as the coun-try continues to indulge itselfin wars of choice, their chil-dren or other relatives may beprisoners of war somewhere

being tortured for informationand the U.S. will be in no po-sition to deliver sanctimo-nious lectures about their op-ponents being guilty of warcrimes for violating interna-tional law.

One wonders whyPresident Obama doesn’tpresent this argument to theAmerican public if he reallywants to change the torturefor information procedures sofiercely defend it and promoteit by chicken hawk, DickCheney.

As for the Notre Damespeech, from a political per-spective, President Obamablew a major opportunity,while the country and muchof the world were watchingand listening, to urge the stu-dents to pay close attention towhat is happening aroundthem today and to use theirtalents, resources and energyto avoid such mistakes in thefuture. He should have com-pletely ignored the protestorsand not even say the word“abortion.” There is nomiddle ground with peoplewho believe that abortion ismurder.

I believe that CandidateObama, who ran a near flaw-less election campaign,would have handled all threeof these circumstances muchmore effectively than Presi-dent Obama has.

Journalist/Lecturer A.Peter Bailey is currently edi-tor of Vital Issues. He can bereached atapeterb@verizon.net.

President Obama’s Slipping Political Instincts

Visit the church of your choice on Sunday

JOSHUA CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

1006 Yeager Lane, Suite 102-A Austin, Texas

Sunday ServicesSunday School 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

WEDNESDAY Bible Study 6:30 P.M.SATURDAY New

Member Assimilation 10:00 A.M.

Agape Baptist ChurchIn “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 isExemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you. For there is no greater love!

Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM

Mid-Week ServiceThursday: Praise, Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PM

Call 454-1547 for TransporationWebsite www.agapebcaustintx.org

Jesus is Coming AgainThe church fellowship where everybody can be somebody!

Maranatha Faith Center4930 South Congress Avenue, C-302 512-750-4628 512-804-2537

Sunday School 9:00-10:00 A.M.Morning Service 10:00 A.M. -12Noon

Floyd Fontenot, Sr., Founder Floyd Fontenot, Jr., Pastor

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church4509Springdale Road 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281

We invite you to come and worship with us

Sunday ServicesWorship 8:30 A.M.Sunday School 9:45 A.MWorship Service 11:00 A.M.

WednesdayEvening Bible Study 6:00 P.M.

Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor

Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road

Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Study 6:30 P.M.Imani Complex, 1st and 4th Wednesday

Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727

Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims

Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax: 512-478-1892

Radio Ministry (KIXI 970 AM 9:00 A.M.TV Ministry (ACTV. Ch 32) 9:00 A.M.Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875

Sunday ServicesWorship Service 8:00 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M. Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709

Rev. Marvin C. GriffinPastor

Rev. H. Ed CalahanPastor

Sunday Services

Wednesday Service 7:00 - 8:00 P.M.

May 29, 2009/The Villager/Page 3

St Annie A.M.E. Church1711 Newton StreetAustin, Texas 78704

Voice mail (512) 444-4509E-mail: saamechurch@peoplepc.com

Sunday School 9:30 A.M.Morning services 10:45 A.M.

Rev. Derwin D. Gipson, Pastor

Aligned with Mattersof Eternity

AFRICAN ASSEMBLIES of GODCHURCH

A growing church ministering to African American andother nationals

Come worship with us

Sunday Worship 11:30 A.M.Wednesday Prayer Meeting 6:45 P.M.

Place of WorshipThe Church of Glad Tidings 2700 Northland Dr. Austin, TX 78756

For more information, contact Pastor Jonah Ghartey512-873-8103 www.allnationschurch@yahoo.com

David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church2211 East MLK Blvd. Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399

Sunday ServicesDiscipleship Training 8:15 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship 10:00 A.M.

Rev. Joseph C. Parker Jr.Pastor

Nursery services available

DOUBLE “R” GROCERYWe cash ALL Tax Refund

ChecksCheck Out

THE AIRPORT FLEE MARKETSaturdays and Sundays

450l East Martin luther King Blvd.

1149 Airport Blvd.

Serving Austin since 1970Let us Fill your next Perscription!

SAVE TIMEAsk your doctor to call

your prescription in to usand we’ll have it ready for you

when you get here!

2115 E. MLK Blvd.512-476-7338

Austin, Texas 78702www.PHRX.Net

Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. - Noon

HOSPITAL PHARMACY

Rosewood Avenue Missionary Baptist Church1820 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702

(512) 476-8201 Fax (512) 476-5693

Weekly ServicesSunday School 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.Wed. Night Bible Fellowship 6:30 p.m.

Rev. Coby Shorter, IIIPastor

The Spencer & Ora Lee Nobles“Hope Center” (512) 476-6722

Websi te :www.rosewoodbaptistchurch.org

“Divine Enpowerment for Bold Ministries”

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 SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.

“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18 A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor

Rev. Lois Hayes, Pastor

Check us out on our websiteand look for updates

www.theaustinvillager.comChurch news, announcement?

If so, contact the Villagerat 476-0082

Austin students takingthe 2009 Texas Assessment ofAcademic Skillstests showedDistrictwide increases from2008 in all content areas andforall student groups, Super-intendent Pat Forgione saidtoday.

“The hard work of Aus-tin students and the commit-ment by Austineducators isyielding impressive results,”Dr. Forgione said. “Atthistime last year — when wemade gains in most, but notall, TAKS reportingareas —we promised to keep ournoses to the grindstone. Wepromised higherstudentachievement in 2009. Wehave kept that promise.”

Preliminary analysis ofTAKS preliminary data showimpressive resultsby AustinISD:

Economically Disad-vantaged students showedincreases of:

7 percentage points inScience

Austin Students Achieve Across-the-Board Gains on All TAKS Tests,

among All Student Groups5 percentage points in

Social Studies4 percentage points in

Writing and Math, and,3 percentage points in

Reading/ELAAfrican American stu-

dents showed increases of:6 percentage points in

Writing5 percentage points in

Social Studies4 percentage points in

Reading/ELA and Science3 percentage points in

MathHispanic students

showed increases of:5 percentage points in

Science4 percentage points in

Social Studies and3 percentage points in

MathThough not included in

the state accountability rat-ings, AISDSpecial Educationand limited-English speak-ing students also showed im-pressive gains, ranging from

3 to 16 percentage points.The greatest gains were

in:- Social Studies for LEP (11percentage point gain) andSpecial

Education students (16percentage point gain).- Sci-ence for LEP and Special Edu-cation Students (9percentagepoint gains forboth groups).- Math (10 per-centage point gain) and Writ-ing (11 percentage pointgain)for Special Education stu-dents.

The gains were greaterfor at-risk and minority stu-dents than forwhite studentsindicating that AISD is con-tinuing to closetheachievement gap.

Dr. Forgione said theDistrict is continuing to ana-lyze and verifypreliminaryTAKS data for individualcampuses, as it is receivedfrom theTexas EducationAgency. Under the timelineannounced by TEA, schooldistricts will receive 2009TAKS data through June 8.

Dr. Forgione cautionedthat current data are prelimi-nary and cannotbe used to

project campus accountabil-ity ratings because they:

Do not yet include 2ndadministration results for 5thand 8thgrade math. Reportresults for all students whotested and not for the account-ability subset that will be usedfor the state

accountability ratings.Do not yet account for

Required Improvement or Ex-ceptions that may allow acampus to move up a rating.

Do not yet account forthe newly implementedTexas Projection Measure(TPM) that may also allow acampus to move up a rating.

The TPM is a new mea-sure that estimates whether astudent is likely to pass theTAKS at the next high stakesgrade level (e.g. grades 5, 8and 11). In his recently re-leased final decisions for

2009 accountability, theTexas Education Commis-sioner ruled that studentswho do not meet the stan-dard for the current year butare projected to meet in the fu-ture year are to be included inthe count with the “passers”to determine accountabilityratings.

The official campus ac-countability ratings are calcu-lated by the State, and arescheduled to be released byTEA on or around August 1.

The Hartman Foundation“Concerts in the Park,” pre-sented by the Austin SymphonyOrchestra, brings together ar-dent enthusiasts and unwittingattendees alike just as similarevents did in town centers yearsago.

In its seventh summer

season, these free ensembleconcerts take place at theHartman Concert Park in front ofthe Long Center City Terraceand will run on Sunday eve-nings from May 31st throughAugust 23rd at 7:30 p.m. TheMay 31 artist will be Large StringEnsemble (Classical).

AUSTIN SYMPHONY OPENS ANNUALHARTMAN FOUNDATION CONCERTS IN THE

PARK SUMMER SERIES AT LONG CENTER

Youth of Today. Hope of Tomorrow.

Page 4/THE VILLAGER/May 29, 2009

Sponsorship

Available

Call for info

476-0082

MYEC

Alon RodgersKelly Lane Middle School

Alonzo BlackHendrickson High School

Jeremy HendersonMcCallum High School

The VILLAGER YOUTHBRIGADE. Youth of today,

Hope of Tomorrow!Call us for more info

(512) 476-0082

Toni NelsonKIPP

Lexus WrenKIPPThis week high school

students have to take finals.We will be tested on everysubject we learned this year.Finals will be on Wednesday,Thursday, and Friday. So forall those with finals, makesure you study hard so thatyou can do well.

Also, KIPP: Austin Col-legiate we (students) are go-ing on an end of the year fieldtrip. This is a trip to both re-ward the students for work-ing hard all school year, andto learn more about the Uni-

versity of Texas at San Anto-nio. The first place studentshave the privilege to go to (freeof charge) is SchlitterbahnWatermark in NewBraunfels. It will be good forus all to soak in some sun (Vi-tamin D!), and to relax. Nextwe will be going on a tour ofUTSA. There we will be ableto interact with college staffand students, and get a goodidea of what college life is re-ally like.

Also, Id like to welcomethe KIPP: Austin College Prep(5th -8th grade) students backfrom their end of the year fieldtrips. They are arriving backfrom New York City and Bos-ton among other places.

As the school yearcomes to an end, I advise thatall students work very hardto get in those last grades. Atthe same time, enjoy yoursummer holiday. The moreyou rest, the more refreshedyou will be next year.

So, until next time havea nice and blessed week.

KIPP Austin CollegePrep. 8th graders had theirend of course algebra examon Thursday May, 21st., onMay 28th and 29th dthe 8thgraders are having thestanford testing, it is a test thatwill see how much you havelearned in the current schoolyear. The 8th graders are get-ting ready for the promotionceremony in the beginning ofJune. As most of you know Iam back from New York and

Boston!! we had so much funand learned alot of thingsduring our trip. We flew onthe Jet Blue airline and thatwas awesome (first time tofly!) We visited different col-leges,” Harvard” was one inBoston ,went out to eat andwent to see a few shows. Wewent to Boston via charterbus. It was a time I will neverforget, Thanks KIPP, andThanks DAD for the money,and as always thank youmom for all that you do. Sum-mer break is around the cor-ner!! next week I will have afew nice places US kids canget into, I will go on a fewroad trips, stay with Ladenein San Antonio, but we allneed something to do in be-tween time. Well readers un-til next week, stay strong!pray! and keep reading theVillager even after the won-derful youth brigade are onsummer vacation.

This week we take finals We made a trip to NewYork and Boston

Rose Marques, sixthgrade assistant principal isstrict but that’s what we need;they can not be too soft on us.I am very pleased to have achance to get to know her.Even though I gave her ahard time, she still believedin me. Ms. Marques has beenin Pflugerville since 1st grade.She served this community ina variety of positions includ-ing language therapist, re-source teacher, and now as-sistant principal.

Due to an anticipatedhigh turnout, the 8th GradePromotion Ceremony wasmoved to Hendrickson HighSchool’s Performing Arts

Center. It’s still the same day(5/30) and same time (9 a.m.for students to report, 9:30a.m. for the actual ceremony).The reception to follow willtake place in the main hall-way of the high school, di-rectly accessed from the PAC.

Believe it or not, we’reat the last 5-day week ofschool for the school year.This weekend is MemorialDay weekend, with no schoolon Monday the 25th. Also,there will be no school onJune 5th, with the 4th beingthe last day of school. The 6thand 7th Grade Awards Cer-emonies will be held on themorning of June 4th, the lastday of school; 7th Grade at8:30 a.m., 6th Grade at 9:45a.m.

The bands had our finalperformances for the year lastweek. We’ve got an excep-tional band program becauseof great students and highquality directors.

The Girls Soccer team,in a battle of undefeatedteams, defeated PflugervilleMS by a score of 6-0. The boysfell to Pflugerville at home ina close game of 3-2.

The HendricksonHawks softball team playedin their 4A regionalquarterfinal games againstDripping Springs last week.The Hawks came into thegame energized by two winsin their previous roundagainst San AntonioBrackenridge. The Hawksfought very hard through outthe game, but eventually fell1-0 to Dripping Springs. TheHawks did go down swing-ing, they had eight base hits,

most coming in the last in-ning, but just weren’t unableto capitalize on their chances.

Hendrickson softballisn’t the only Hawk sport tohave success this year, thetrack team sent many to theregional meet this year. Com-ing into the meet expectationswere high for Hendricksonathletes. Luckily, these expec-tations didn’t prove to be toohigh for our athletes, with fivequalifiers from Hendrickson.

With NatashaMasterson leading the way,Hendrickson had a superbshowing at the Regional meet.Masterson took the regionalpole vault and 4x200 relaycrown along with KarissaGravesmill, Erica Greene,Kiana Burgess, and JasmineTezino. Masterson also tookthird in the 300 hurdles.Tezino placed fifth in the 100hurdles. Greene placed sev-enth in 300 hurdles, andNatsha Mayne placed sev-enth in the 800.

8th Grade Promotion Ceremony has been moved

Hawks fall to DrippingSprings 1-0

On Wednesday, May20, 2009, COBRA andVOICES went on our field tripto UT. We left at 9:20 and cameback around 5th period.McCallum COBRA andVOICES had out first annualyouth summit. The leadersfrom each high school gavethe welcome. We talked to theMiddle School students aboutjoining COBRA or VOICESwhen they enter high school.LBJ COBRA, Reagan COBRA,Webb Young Knights, KealingYoung Knights, PearceYoung Knights, DeckerYoung Knights and GarciaYoung Knights all attended.We watched a video made by

COBRA and VOICESUT field trip

Kealing Middle School stu-dents and it was great. Next,we had Senior Recognitionfor all the seniors. Dr. Fostertold the college of each senior.All the seniors received wa-ter bottles and then we hadlunch. After lunch, all theMcCallum COBRA andVOICES leaders broke up intogroups to do activities withthe middle school students. Iwas one of the leaders and itwas fun. I also helped out oneof my fellow COBRA leadersby presenting the informationhe gave me to explain to ev-eryone else and I did. The lastthing was that Dr. Fosterspoke to us and each studentfrom each school, reflected onwhat they got out of COBRAor VOICES. Then we all tookphotos of all the leaders ofCOBRA, VOICES andfacilitors and who took partin the summit. Great JOB ev-eryone and remember, CO-BRA COBRA and VOICESVOICES!!!! One last thing, allthe seniors from each schooltook a photo with Dr. Foster.COBRA and VOICES Yeah!!!!Until Next Time....

Raven WyattKelley Lane

Seven more days untilschool is out, can you waitbecause I can’t? Summer isalmost here, so close that I cantaste it. I’m ready to swim,have fun, and most of all getsome sleep. I’m excited aboutthis, well, because I am tiredof school, its boring, and re-ally a waist of my time. I wishit only lasted for 3 hours andstarted at 12 p.m. After all ourhard work that both the stu-dents and teachers havedone with the school year, isabout to and has paid off.

It’s not time to relaxquit yet, still more test, quiz-zes, and homework grades.Yeah we aren’t as focusedbut our heads are in the game,

7 More ConditionalDays of School

we are just pumped for thesummer.

These last six weeks arethe most important, becausethis is what determines ourfuture for at least next year.T.A.K.S is no more; soonschool will be to. Every kidwaits for the day of school toget out.

The year has broughtus drama, faith, relation-ships, and many more advan-tages and disadvantages. Wehave had lots of fun, and tonsof great adventures. We havehad our laughs, our agree-ments‘, fights, and beautywars. This year has been agame, and the obstacles wereunbelievable, the answer isstill to come. This is becauseno one knows who has wonand passed the game yet, un-til the year is over.

Everyone one is ready,at least I know I am because,my heart is pounding. I don’tknow if there is summerschool to look forward to, getready for the eighth grade, orjust be prepared to fail. That’sreally all that is left to sayabout our conditional days. On Wednesday,

June 24, 2009, from 10amuntil 4pm, there will be ajob expo like no other atthe Travis CountyExposition Center, 7311Decker Lane. The TravisCounty Sheriff’s Office,along with Travis CountyHuman Resources ,Workforce Solut ionsCapita l Area andGoodwill are hosting thisJob Expo.

Bi l led as thelargest Job Expo ever at theTravis County Expo Centerit is the largest event everhosted by the TravisCounty Sheriff’s Office.Sheriff Greg Hamilton saidduring the planningmeetings, “I want to helpthose who are looking foremployment by bringingresources together in oneplace where a person can

The Villageris a member of the Texas

Publishers Association (TPA), National Newspaper

PublishersAssociation (NNPA) and

audited by the CirculationVerification Council.

T. L. Wyatt, Editor/PublisherFor information,

call (512) 476-0082

Sheriff’s Office Hosts “JobExpo At The Expo Center”

get the skills they need tofind a job and then bringin the employers who havejob openings.”

There wi l l beworkshops available forresume building, on-linejob searching, interviewtechniques. Along with theworkshops the floor of theTravis County Expo CenterArena will be filled withover 40 public and privatesector employers , whohave job openings, whichare registered to attend thisevent.

Everyone iswelcome andencouragedto attend. Employers willbe standing by, ready tostart the hiring process sobring your resume and beprepared to beinterviewed.The contact person for thisevent is Alison Gomez,512-854-9302.

May 29, 2009/THE VILLAGER/page 5

The African Diaspors SectionBy Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

American Cancer Society

PAC ad

Passion turned into a ProffessionAs another week goes

by, the African diaspora haschosen to place the highlighton Mr. Ugo Nkankwo. MrNkankwo has taking his pas-sion of buying and sellingproperties into becoming areal estate license. As a Real-tor Mr Nkankwo is currentlyachieving his dream, whilehelping others achieve theirAmerican dreams of owningtheir house.

In 1999, Mr Ugo Nkankwowho is originally from ImoState, Nigeria came to theUnited States and settled inCentral Texas. In 2007, MrNkankwo received his realestate licesense from AustinReal Estate School. After re-ceiving his licesense, MrNkankwo started to work forAustin R&D Properties. Fur-thermore, Mr Nkankwo realestate market included a part

Mr Ugo Nkankwo

of downtown Austin andSouth Austin. Since workingas Realtor, Nkankwo hasseem his share of challengesand successes.In his two years journey as aRealtor, Mr Nkankwo hasfaced numerous challenges.At times, his young age tendto take his client by a surprise.They are surprised to see a

young man who alreadyknows the ins and out of theCentral Texas real estate mar-ket. While other clients aretaken “at back” from his “ac-cent.” Yet Mr Nkankwo, hasa mastery of the real estatelanguage. Consequently, MrNkankwo has to work harder;be more aggressive and spendmore time building a relation-ship with his client in orderto be successful.

Despite some of his chal-lenges, he has seen severalsuccessful sells. In 2007, hesold his first property, whichwas a single family unit indowntown, Austin. In 2008,Mr Nkankwo sold twotownhouses; a condo in EastAustin; and a house in SouthAustin. Furthermore, he hassuccessfully helped numer-ous individuals find rentalp r o p e r t i e s .

Housing tips part II By Tsoke (Chuch) AdjavonDuring the housing

boom, banks would giveprime rate to people who hada good credit scores; whilegiven suprime rate to indi-viduals who couldn’t qualifyfor a standardize loan. Asuprime loan would start outlow and then in a couple ofyears adjust to the current in-terest rate a established by thefederal government. Conse-quently one’s mortgage willgo up within a couple of years.As a result, numerous fami-lies and individuals wouldfind their house foreclosure.A foreclosure could occur af-

ter three miss mortgage pay-ments. However, before miss-ing a payment one shouldcontact his/her mortgage of-ficer or lender. In term, thiswould allow the bank or thelender give the option tomodify the loan; refinance; orshort sell. Furthermore, theseaction could also help fromfurther damage to one’s creditr a t i n g .

According to Mr. Nkwanko,modifying one’s loan is thebest option while confrontinghard economic time. A modi-fication loan is a program that

reduces either the montlypayment or the interest ratebetween two or five years.Moreover, the governmentjust added more provision tothe modification programwhich also provide incentivefor the borrower and thelender. Secondly, refiancingallows an individual to get anew loan. And the third op-tion is to let the bank short sellthe house. A short sell allowsthe owner to “get rid” of theproperty while letting thebank sells the house for whatis owed regardless of the mar-ket value.

Snapshot atthe Austin CityCouncil By Tsoke

(Chuch) Adjavon

Cole as council memberplace 6. Another Austin citycouncil meeting was held onMay 21, 2009. The city coun-cil approved the minutes ofthe May 14, 2009 councilmeeting. Furthermore theyalso approved 63 differentitems on the agenda. Some ofthe items the city council ap-proved were Item # 21 andItem # 22 . Item 21 approvethe “authorizing the Parksand Recreation Department’sapplication for up to $500,000in grant funding from theTexas Parks and WildlifeDepartment’s (TPWD) Out-door Urban Recreation to im-prove facilities and resourcesat Gustavo (Gus) L. GarciaPark.” Item 22 approved theauthorizing to the “negotia-

tion and execution of an agree-ment with the Young MensChristian Association of Aus-tin and Greater Austin FirstTee to provide an Austin Po-lice Department sponsoredPolice Activities League ofAustin Program (APD-PAL)golfing curriculum, includingallowing the City public ac-cess through the property and

the right to re-construct afoot/cart path bridge for theWalnut Creek Hike & BikeTrail System, for a three-yearterm with extension optionsin an annual in-kind contri-bution amount not to exceed$40,000 with a maximum in-kind contribution amount notto exceed $120,000 for thethree year term.”

From page 1

thereby maintaining thecourt's ideological divide. Anumber of important caseshave been divided by 5-4 ma-jorities, with conservative-and liberal-leaning justicessplit 4-4 and Justice AnthonyKennedy providing the deci-sive vote.

Born in the South Bronx,Sotomayor lost her father at ayoung age and watched hermother work two jobs to pro-vide for her and her brother.Her path has soared eversince: Princeton Universityand Yale Law School, thenpositions as a commercial liti-gator, federal district judgeand appellate judge.

"What you've shown inyour life is that it doesn't mat-ter where you come from,what you look like or whatchallenges life throws yourway," Obama said asSotomayor stood at his sideat a packed White Houseevent to announce her nomi-nation Tuesday. "No dream isbeyond reach in the UnitedStates of America."

Said the nominee, "I aman ordinary person who hasbeen blessed with extraordi-nary opportunities and expe-riences."

Janet Murguia, presi-dent and CEO of the NationalCouncil of La Raza, calledSotomayor's nomination "amonumental day for Latinos.Finally, we see ourselves rep-resented on the highest courtin the land."

Associated Press writerBen Feller contributed to thisreport.

Supreme CourtFrom Page 1

Three Local Nonprofits to Benefitfrom 2009 Parade of Homes

Home Tour Featuring Ultra Green/Urban Homes Kicks off May 23; Ends June 7AUSTIN, Texas, Apr.

22, 2009 – The Home Build-ers Association (HBA) ofGreater Austin, in coopera-tion with

Catellus DevelopmentGroup, will donate a portionof this year’s Parade ofHomes™ ticket proceeds tobenefit

three local nonprofit or-ganizations: the AustinChildren’s Museum, the Aus-tin Children’s Shelter and theHealth

Alliance for Austin Mu-sicians (HAAM).

“Catellus is proud to beworking with the HBA onthis special way to supportthe nonprofits that are havingan

impact on Mueller andthe surrounding commu-nity,” said Matt Whelan, se-nior vice president ofCatellus, the

master developer ofMueller. “The AustinChildren’s Museum plans torelocate to Mueller’s futuretown center

while construction iswell underway at the AustinChildren’s Shelter, located inthe adjacent Rathgeber Vil-lage,

making them naturalbeneficiaries for HBA’s an-nual tradition of supportinglocal nonprofit groups at theParade

of Homes™. And, inkeeping with the spirit ofMueller as a vibrant part ofAustin’s cultural scene, HBAand

Catellus were eager tosupport an organization likeHAAM that is helping pro-vide healthcare services to our

local musicians.”Following a competitive

process last summer, the Aus-tin Children’s Museum se-lected Mueller as its newhome

based on shared com-

mitments to family-orienteddevelopment, diversity andsustainability. Since 1983, the

organization has pro-vided a place where Austin’skids can become more cre-ative, inventive and compe-tent for

the jobs of tomorrow.“We’re honored to ben-

efit from an event like the Pa-rade of Homes™ that is sureto bring

countless families todiscover or rediscover theprogress being made atMueller,” said Austin

Children’s Museum Ex-ecutive Director Mike Nellis.“Every time we go to Muellerfor a meeting

or site visit, we’re evenmore impressed by how thedevelopment is taking shapeand we’re looking forward to

the day when we cancall Mueller home.”

For Immediate ReleaseMedia Contacts: Naomi

Bludworth Brian DolezalHBA of Greater Austin

TateAustinHahn for Catellus(512) 454-5588, ext. 105

(512) 344-2035 or 619-6742Naomi@hbaaustin.com

bdolezal@tateaustinhahn.comThe Austin Children’s

Shelter holds a special placein the hearts of both the HBAand Catellus.

“The Home BuildersAssociation of Greater Austinand its members are

proud of their involve-ment in the construction of theAustin Children’s

Shelter cottages at thenew Rathgeber Village atMueller,” said HBA Presi-dent Wes Peoples, who also

serves as an AustinChildren’s Shelter boardmember. “It’s very gratifyingto know that through those

efforts the HBA willplay an important part in sup-porting Austin’s children foryears to come.”

“We’re delighted thatCatellus and HBA have cho-sen us to be a beneficiary ofthis year’s Parade of

Homes,” said AustinChildren’s Shelter ExecutiveDirector Gena VanOsselaer.“It’s evident Mueller extends

well beyond its officialborders. The support and rec-ognition we receive from thisevent in this, our 25th

anniversary of service toabused and neglected chil-dren, will help to sustain ourmission and raise

awareness of our newcampus adjacent to theMueller community.”

HAAM has been chosenin part because of the HBA’sand Catellus’s commitment

to Austin’s localeconomy. The music industrycontributes nearly $1 billionin

economic activity, morethan $25 million in local tax

See Homes Page 7

Page 6/THE VILLAGER/May 29, 2009

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oHaroldld Bouyer and CherylWhite

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The Capital City Lions Club was host to their 2009 Scholarship Recipients and theirfamilies at a recent meeting. This year graduating seniors were: Ms. Beverly Edward- LanierHigh to attend U.T. at Austin; Ms. Elicia Fulton- Lanier High to attend U.T. at Austin and Mr.Ryan Hall- Stephen F. Austin High to attend Texas A&M.

2009 Scholarship RecipientsKids Cafe

Town Lake Chapter Links had an Ice Cream Social forKids Cafe. All students at Norman and Campbell ElementarySchools enjoyed the ice cream social. This was the end of theyear event for Kids Cafe. PHOTO ABOVE (L-R): Gloria Will-iams, Tonya Brown, Joyce Turner and Bea Beenson.

IRS Accepting Applications forLow Income Taxpayer Clinic Grants

WASHINGTON — TheInternal Revenue Service an-nounced today that the 2010Low Income Taxpayer Clinic(LITC) grant application pro-cess is now open.

“Low Income TaxpayerClinics provide an incrediblyimportant service to taxpay-ers who find themselves inneed of assistance. Thesegrants are a wise investmentin ensuring that there is asafety net for those havingtrouble navigating the sys-tem,” said Doug Shulman,IRS Commissioner.

The LITC grant pro-gram is a federal program ad-ministered by the TaxpayerAdvocate Service, led by Na-tional Taxpayer AdvocateNina E. Olson. The LITC pro-gram serves individuals whohave a problem with the IRSand whose income is below acertain level. LITCs also pro-vide outreach and education

to taxpayers who speak En-glish as a second language.LITCs are independent fromthe IRS. Most LITCs can pro-vide representation before theIRS or in court on audits, taxcollection disputes and otherissues for free or for a smallfee. Many clinics provide mul-tilingual information abouttaxpayer rights and responsi-bilities.

Under the LITC grantprogram, the IRS awardsmatching grants of up to$100,000 per year to qualify-ing organizations to develop,expand or maintain low-in-come taxpayer clinics. Theprogram is in its eleventh yearand continues to expand. Todate in 2009, the LITC ProgramOffice has awarded LITCgrants to 162 organizations inall 50 states, the District of Co-lumbia, and Puerto Rico.

Examples of qualifyingorganizations include:

· Clinical programs ataccredited law, business or ac-counting schools, whose stu-dents represent low incometaxpayers in tax disputeswith the IRS, and

· Organizations exemptfrom tax under Internal Rev-enue Code Section 501(a) thatrepresent low-income taxpay-ers in tax disputes with theIRS or refer those taxpayers toqualified representatives.

The application periodfor these grants will runthrough July 7, 2009. Thegrant will cover the 2010 grantcycle, from Jan. 1, 2010,through Dec. 31, 2010. Appli-cations must be electronicallyfiled, postmarked, sent by pri-vate delivery service, or handdelivered to the LITC Pro-gram Office in Washington,D.C. by July 7, 2009.

Copies of the 2010Grant Application Packageand Guidelines, IRS Publica-

tion 3319 (Rev. 5-2009), areavailable at www.irs.gov/ad-vocate. Applicants may alsoorder application packagesfrom the IRS Distribution Cen-ter by calling 1-800-829-3676.Applicants can also file elec-tronically at www.grants.gov.Those applying electronicallyshould use the Funding Num-ber TREAS-GRANTS-052010-001.

Questions about theLITC Program or grant appli-cation process can be ad-dressed to the LITC ProgramOffice at (202) 622-4711, nota toll-free call, or by e-mail atLITCProgramOffice@irs.gov.

For more informationabout the clinics receivingfunding in 2009, see Publica-tion 4134, Low Income Tax-payer Clinic List. This publi-cation is available atwww.irs.gov, by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM, or at yourlocal IRS office.

City offi-cials to hostcommunitymeeting onshooting in-

cidentThe City of Austin will

host a community meetingJune 1 to provide informationabout the officer-involvedshooting that occurred Mon-day, May 11, 2009, at 6409Springdale Road . The meet-ing will be from 6:30 to 8:30p.m. at the Wilhelmina DelcoCenter , 4601 Pecan BrookDrive . The City will provideupdates and the public willbe given the opportunity tospeak. City Manager Marc Ott,Austin Police Chief ArtAcevedo, Police Monitor CliffBrown and other City officialswill attend.

The Travis CountySheriff’s Office is hosting aBasketball Tournament billedas the “3rd Annual TravisCounty Sheriff’s Shootout”on June 13-14, 2009.

To kick off the tourna-ment there will be an open-ing ceremony and a Celebrityvs. Central Texas Law En-forcement Basketball Game,on June 12, 2009, at 7pm, atthe Delco Center, 4601 PecanBrook Drive, Austin. The ad-mission to the Celebrity Gameis FREE and there will beFREE prizes awarded duringthe game as well as auto-graph opportunities.

The tournament gameswill be played at the DelcoCenter, LBJ and Reagan HighSchools, and the Turner-Rob-erts Recreation Center on the13th and 14th. For registrationinformation go towww.tcsheriff .org/out-reach/shootout.html or callSenior Deputy James Kitch-ens, at 512-854-8413, or SeniorDeputy Kimberly Orts, at 512-854-3248.

Sheriff Hamilton is tak-ing an innovative approachto bring the community to-gether to make Austin a bet-ter place to live. Concerningthis event he said, “I want toencourage positive youth de-velopment opportunities inTravis County because Iknow that kids that are en-gaged in positive activities arekids that are not getting intotrouble.”

All proceeds from thisevent will go to the AustinChildren’s Shelter and theWolfe Pack Youth BoxingClub.

EMPLOYMENT/BIDS/PROPOSALS/PUBLIC

INFORMATION/FOR SALE/FOR RENT/MISC

JANITORIAL WORKERSNEEDED

ISS Facility Services, Inc. has open-ings for supervisory, floor men, andgeneral cleaners for part-timeevening employment. Apply at ISSFacility Services, Inc. Austin, M-F,between 4-6 pm, 8101 CameronRoad # 304. ISS Facility Services,Inc. is an Equal opportunity Em-ployer (EOE) and promotes a Di-verse Workforce.

Apply at HR5930 Middle Fiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512) 223-5621hhtp://www/austincc.ed

EEO/AA/M/F/D/V

AustinCommunity

College

EmploymentEmploymentEmploymentEmploymentEmployment

May 29, 2009/THE VILLAGER/Page 7

NOTICE TO SUBCONTRACTORS

Capital Excavation Com-pany is soliciting bids fromMBE and WBE owned Busi-nesses for the following City ofAustin: (West Campus WaterLine Improvements Area 1, 2, 3and 4) Fax your bid to (512) 440-0844. Capital Excavation Com-pany is an Equal OpportunityEmployer. We request that allbids be in by June 4, 2009, at10:00 AM.

NOTICE TO SUBCONTRACTORS

Capital Excavation Com-pany is soliciting bids from His-torically Under Utilized Busi-nesses (HUB) for the followingTravis County Project: (NuckolsCrossing Safety Improvements)Fax your bid to (512) 440-0844.Capital Excavation Company isan Equal Opportunity Em-ployer. We request that all bidsbe in by May 27, 2009, at 5:00PM.

City of AustinPurchasing OfficeAdvertisements 05/25/2009

On October 2, 1995, a revision to the City’s MBE/WBE DBEsOrdinance became effective. The Ordinance establishes new goals for MBE/WBE or DBE Participation Bid/Proposal. Bidders are required to docu-ment efforts to solicit MBE/WBE or DBEs in the Compliance Plan. TheGoals for each project and the instructions and forms for the CompliancePlan are included in the MBE/WBE or DBE Program Packet included in thesolicitation. For construction contracts, the MBE/WBE or DBE ProgramPacket is a separately bound volume of the Project Manual. ALL BIDSAND COMPLIANCE PLANS NOT RECEIVED PRIOR TO THE DATEAND TIME SET FORTH WILL BE RETURNED TO THE BIDDERUNOPENED. SPECIAL NOTICE: Solicitations issued on behalf of theElectric Utility Dept. (Austin Energy) are no longer advertised in theAustin American Statesman. Notices will be posted on the City of AustinPurchasing website at: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/purchase

A. CONSTRUCTION ADVERTISEMENTS - ALL CON-STRUCTION SEALED BIDS addressed to the City of Austin will bereceived PRIOR TO date and time indicated for the following project(s), inthe Reception Area, 10th FL., Ste. 1045, Contract and Land ManagementDepartment, CLMD, One Texas Center (OTC), 505 Barton Springs Rd.,Austin, TX, then publicly opened and read aloud in the 10th FL. Confer-ence Room, Ste. 1045, unless otherwise indicated in the advertisement. AllBids received after the time set forth will be returned to the bidder un-opened. The OWNER’s Official opening the Bids shall establish the timefor opening of the Bids. All Bid Deposits are refundable upon return ofdocuments within the specified time frame and in good condition, unlessotherwise indicated. UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED, Project Manu-als, Plans and Addenda may be obtained at the Office of Engineering De-sign & Surveying, PWD, Ste. 760, OTC. First time bidders are encouragedto attend the pre-bid conference to assure their understanding of Owner’sbidding and contracting requirements, particularly M/WBE ProcurementsProgram requirements. Cashiers or Certified Check Payable to the City ofAustin or acceptable Bid Bond must accompany each bid. Bidders will berequired to provide Payment/Performance bonds as specified in the bid-ding documents. The City reserves the right to reject any and all Bids andto waive any informality in the bids received.

Bidders must attend any Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference and areencouraged to attend any non-mandatory Pre-Bid Conference to ensuretheir understanding of Owner’s bidding and contracting requirements, par-ticularly MBE/WBE Procurement Program requirements. If the Pre-BidConference is mandatory the Bidder must arrive and sign-in within fifteen(15) minutes of the scheduled start time of the meeting, otherwise theBidder will not be allowed to submit a Bid for the project.

1. AUSTIN ENERGY CHILLED WATER PIPING- ID/IQ (CIP3060 1107 0120). IFB 6100 CLMC050. Pickup bid docs at OTC, STE.760, Attn: Gabriel Stan 974-7151 after 5/25/09. A refundable deposit of$50 is required. For info Louis Rogers, 505-3867. A MANDATORY Ven-dor Conf will be held at Town Lake Center, 721 Barton Springs Rd, RM100, Austin, TX 78704 at 10:00A on 6/5/09. Offers due prior to 10:30Aon 7/2/09. Compliance plans due prior to 2:30P on 7/2/09. Offers will beopened on 7/2/09 at 2:30P.

2. ELISABET NEY MUSEUM BUILDING, ADA ACCESSIBIL-ITY & LANDSCAPE (CIP 8740 8607 0119). IFB 6100 CLMC055. Pickupbid docs at OTC, STE. 760, Attn: Gabriel Stan 974-7151 after 5/26/09. Arefundable deposit of $50 is required. For info Robin Camp, 974-7830. AMANDATORY Vendor Conf will be held at Elisabet Ney Museum 304 E.44th St., Austin, TX 78751 Robin Camp 974-7830 at 3:00P on 6/4/09.Offers due prior to 11:00A on 6/18/09. Compliance plans due prior to3:00P on 6/18/09. Offers will be opened on 6/18/09 at 3:00P.

C. COMMODITIES - Solicitations will be issued, and sealed bidsor proposals may be received at the Purchasing Office, Municipal Build-ing, 124 W. 8th St., 3rd floor, Room 308/310, telephone number (512) 974-2500, Austin, TX until the dates and times specified on following item(s):

C. SOLICITATION COMMODITIES1. SSC0099 WALK-IN FREEZER AND COOLER FOR THE

APD. A Vendor Conf will be held at 1520 Rutherford Lane, bldg. 2, APDEvidence Unit, Austin, TX. 78754 at 11:30A on 6/3/09. Offers due priorto 11:00A on 6/10/09.

2. CEA0008 BUNKER GEAR FOR AFD. Offers due prior to12:00P on 6/16/09.

THE CITY OF AUSTIN HEREBY NOTIFIES ALL OFFERORSTHAT IN REGARD TO ANY CONTRACT ENTERED INTO PURSU-ANT TO THIS ADVERTISEMENT; MINORITY BUSINESS ENTER-PRISES WILL BE AFFORDED EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO SUB-MIT OFFERS IN RESPONSE TO THIS INVITATION AND WILL NOTBE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ON THE GROUNDS OF RACE,COLOR, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN OR DISABILITY IN CONSID-ERATION FOR AN AWARD.

PUBLIC NOTICEDISADVANTAGED

BUSINESS ENTERPRISESJune 1, 2009

The City of Round Rockhereby announces its Fiscal Year2010 goal of twenty-four percent(24%) for Disadvantaged BusinessEnterprise (DBE) participation infederally funded contracts.

A copy of the DBE Programand how this goal was establishedis available for public inspectionMonday through Thursday from9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Fridaythrough Saturday from 9:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the City ofRound Rock Public Library, 216 E.Main Street, Round Rock, Texas forthirty (30) days beginning June 1,2009.

The City of Round Rock willaccept public comments for a pe-riod of forty-five (45) days begin-ning June 1, 2009. Address com-ments to:

City of Round RockDavid Bartels,

DBE Liaison Officer2008 Enterprise DriveRound Rock, Texas 78664

New Jobs for weekof 05/25/09

Procurement and MaterialsManagement Director

Service CenterMonday-Friday 8:00 a.m. -

5:00 p.m.$5,170-6,462-monthly

Job#0905017

Look for updates on the webwww.theaustinvillager.com

CITY OF AUSTINFiscal Year 2009-14 CONSOLIDATED PLAN

Fiscal Year 2009-10 ACTION PLANNOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

AND PUBLIC HEARINGSThe City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office announces the 30-day

public comment period and public hearings to receive citizen comments on the draft fiscal year 2009-14Consolidated Plan and the draft fiscal year 2009-10 Action Plan. These draft plans describe community needs,resources, and priorities for the City’s housing and community development activities that are funded withgrants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and additional funding from localprograms including General Revenue Funds, local General Obligation Bonds and program income. The draftAction Plan reflects $13 million in HUD funds and additional monies from General Revenue Fund, localGeneral Obligation Bonds, and program income. HUD funds are provided through four grant programs:Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), EmergencyShelter Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA).

DRAFT COMMENT PERIODDevelopment of the draft fiscal year 2009-14 Consolidated Plan and fiscal year 2009-10 Action Plan

involved participation by citizens, including: public input received by the Community Development Commis-sion and City Council; written comments; surveys; and meetings with stakeholders and community membersinvolved in housing and community development.

From June 12, 2009 to July 13, 2009 the draft plans may be viewed at:1. Austin Central Public Library, 800 Guadalupe (Central)2. East Austin Neighborhood Center, 211 Comal (East)3. Housing Authority of the City of Austin, 1124 S IH 35 (Housing Authority)4. Rosewood-Zaragosa Neighborhood Center, 2800 Webberville Road (East)5. St. John’s Neighborhood Center, 7500 Blessing (North East)6. South Austin Neighborhood Center, 2508 Durwood (South)7. Pleasant Hill Library Branch, 211 East William Cannon (South)8. Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, 500 East 7th Street (Central)9. AIDS Services of Austin, 7215 Cameron Road (North)10.Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department, 1000 East 11th Street, Suite 200

(East)PUBLIC HEARINGSThe City of Austin will have two public hearings to receive citizen comments on the draft fiscal year

2009-14 Consolidated Plan and the draft fiscal year 2009-10 Action Plan. The public hearings will be:· Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 6:00PM. Austin City Council Meeting at Austin City Hall, City

Council Chambers, 301 W. Second St.· Thursday, June 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM. Community Development Commission Meeting at Austin

City Hall, Boards and Commissions Room, 301 W. Second St.Written CommentsThe public is encouraged to submit written comment, including name, address, and phone number to:Mail:Kate MooreNeighborhood Housing and Community Development DepartmentCity of AustinPO Box 1088Austin, Texas 78767Email: kate.moore@ci.austin.tx.usAll comments must be received at the NHCD office by 4:45 p.m. on July 13, 2009.For information about the draft Consolidated Plan, the draft Action Plan and the public input process,

NHCD staff may be reached at 974-3100 (voice) or 974-3102 (TDD) Monday through Friday 7:45 a.m. to4:45 p.m.

Visit www.cityofaustin.org/housing for more information.The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable

modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance please call974-3256 or 974-2445 (TDD).

Texas Comptroller’sOffice SchedulesJune Tax Help

Seminars

A diverse economy,growing work force andfriendly business climate at-tract more businesses to theLone Star state every day.Texas Comptroller SusanCombs’ office regularly pre-sents free taxpayer seminarsthroughout the state to helpnew and existing businessowners understand theirstate tax responsibilities.

Seven seminars willtake place throughout June atvarious locations across thestate. A complete list of loca-tions, dates and times is avail-able atwww.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/seminars.html.

At the seminars, tax-payers can learn about salestax forms, filing and payingtaxes electronically, taxablegoods and services, e-servicesto help taxpayers managetheir accounts online, theComptroller’s e-mail sub-scription service that alertstaxpayers when new tax in-formation is posted online,and the array of other ser-vices and information avail-able from the Comptroller’soffice to assist taxpayers.Comptroller representativeswill answer questions andprovide assistance to attend-ees.

“A strong and diversebusiness community is thekey to Texas’ economicstrength,” Combs said. “Weare committed to assistingTexas businesses by makingtaxes simpler, smarter, fasterand, above all, transparent.We owe it to our taxpayers toprovide the best customer ser-vice possible.”

Those who are unableto attend the seminars cancall the Comptroller’s toll-freetax assistance line at (800)252-5555. Tax forms avail-able online at our website,www.window.state.tx.us.

Travis CountySheriff’s OfficeHosts Its Third

“Shootout”

Three Local Nonprofits to Benefitfrom 2009 Parade of Homes

Home Tour Featuring Ultra Green/Urban Homes Kicks off May 23; Ends June 7

revenue each year andprovides

11,200 jobs. HAAM pro-vides access to affordablehealth care for Austin’s lowincome, uninsured

musicians, focusing onprevention and wellness.

“The Austin vibe that’scontinually evolving atMueller is extraordinary,”said HAAM Executive Direc-tor

Carolyn Schwarz.“We’re proud to support theculture in this truly Austinneighborhood by helping toadd

live, local music to theParade, and we’re apprecia-tive that our efforts will resultin contributions that directly

support the musiciansthat make Austin such a greatplace to live.”

The 56th annual Pa-rade of Homes™ opens itsdoors on Saturday, May 23and runs through Sunday,June

7, 2009 at Muellerhosted by Catellus Develop-ment Group. This year’s Pa-rade of Homes™, the first in

Central Austin in de-cades, will be unlike any otheras it focuses on ultra-green,ultra-urban homes from a

group of exclusively lo-cal home builders: Bill TauteHomes, Cool River CustomHomes, Durrett Interests,

The Muskin Companyand Streetman Homes.

The tour allows visitorsto check out the latest in ar-chitecture, interior decorat-ing, landscape design and

green-building features.These homes, starting at ap-proximately $1 million, areanticipated to be the first in

Central Texas to earn

three energy efficiency rat-ings: (1) a five-star rating inthe nationally recognized

Austin Energy GreenBuilding program, (2) LEED®certification from the U.S.Green Building Council and

(3) green building silverlevel certification from theNational Association ofHome Builders. The homes on

the tour will range from3,000 to 4,500 square feet.

Mueller’s commitmentto a broad range of home typesand prices is planned to cre-ate a diverse, mixedincome

community. With the in-clusion of the Parade Homes,residences at Mueller nowrange from the

$120,000s to more than$1 million.

Homes will be open asweather permits. For informa-tion about tickets, parking andevent features, visit

www.AustinHomeBuilders.com.About the HBAFor more than 55 years,

the Home Builders Associa-tion (HBA) of Greater Austinhas served as the leading not-forprofit

trade organization dedi-cated to residential construc-tion and remodeling in Cen-tral Texas. With approxi-mately

850 members, the HBAworks with government, pub-lic, business and communityorganizations in five countiesto

protect every family’sright to home ownership. TheHBA and its members workto ensure that those who pro-tect us,

teach our children, andprovide essential services canafford to live here. The vastmajority of new homes are

purchased by middle-

class families – the verypeople at risk of being pricedout of our communities by ris-ing taxes

and government fees.For more information, visitwww.AustinHomeBuilders.com.

About MuellerMueller is one of the

nation’s most notable new-urbanist communities locatedin the heart of Austin. The700-acre site

of Austin’s former air-port is being transformed intoa diverse, sustainable, com-patible, revitalizing and fis-cally

responsible master-planned community. Muelleris taking shape as a jointproject between the City ofAustin and

Catellus DevelopmentGroup, a ProLogis company,over 10-15 years followingnearly 20 years of extensivecitizen

input. Upon comple-tion, Mueller will feature atleast 4,600 single-family andmulti-family homes, a mixed-use town

center district, 3.8 mil-lion square feet of prime com-mercial space, 650,000 squarefeet of local and regional re-tail

space, 140 acres ofparks and open space, DellChildren’s Medical Centerand the Austin Film Studios.For more

information, visitwww.MuellerAustin.com

From Page 5

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Villager SportsvilleVillager SportsvilleVillager SportsvilleVillager SportsvilleVillager Sportsville

By George HardinBy George HardinBy George HardinBy George HardinBy George HardinSportsBeatSportsBeatSportsBeatSportsBeatSportsBeat

Page 8/The Villager/May 29, 2009

Texas Lottery

Bowling league ends season, awards prizes to top teams

The Friday Jets BowingLeague completed its August-to-May season with a cham-pionship roll-off between thefirst-half winner and the sec-ond-half winner, with“Doesn’t Matter” emergingas winner of the three-gameseries, said DeAnn Hayes,league manager. The eventwas held Friday, May 22, atDart Bowl, 5700 Grover Ave.Members of the champion-ship team are LaVernRobinson, Toni Levise, MarkTullos, Everett Davis andCurtis Levise. The runner-upis “X-Factor,” consisting ofLinda Bridges, Jason Averett,Mike Bridges, Gale Bridgesand Gary Samplaski.

Cash prizes also wereawarded in a number of cat-egories at a league meeting,said Dorothy Kennedy, vicepresident of the league.Kennedy, who also is on theboard of directors of theGreater Austin Area UnitedStates Bowling Congress, said

BOWLERS—Members of the Friday Night Jets Bowling League are shown after the awarding of prizes as the league ended its season on May 22. The league willmeet again in August to begin its 2009-2010 season. Photo by George E. Hardin

cash money was given forplaces one through 14. Newofficers also were elected forthe league, which consists of16 teams, and George EttaSwisher was chosen most-improved bowler.

Individual high aver-ages were: Men—GarySamplaski, 211.39; EverettDavis, 211.28; Curtis Levise,211.25. Women: DeAnnHayes, 193.55; Toni Levise,

180.58; Laura Boland, 175.97.Willie B. Williams, was

re-elected as president. Hesaid he has been bowlingsince the 1960s and saidbowling with the FridayNight Jets “is just a lot of fun.I enjoy being with thepeople..” He said, “When Ibegan bowling the league wason Lamar at Bowl-A-Rama,and I’ve been moving withthem ever since.” He is

steadily working on hisskills, he said, and “ when Ican pick up my spares,” headded, it is especially pleas-ing. Williams served as assis-tant manager and moved upto manager at the oldBergstrom Air Force BaseBowling Center for about 10years.

Maurice Owens, who ison the “High Fives,” is an-other longtime member of the

league. She said, “I love theexercise. And being the old-est bowler in the league, it’sexciting that they still allowme to bowl with them. It givesme energy to keep me goingfrom day to day.” Speaking ofher technique, she said, “I tryto roll the ball from the leftside in toward the head pin.”

“My team is made upof wonderful people,” said,Wynonie Bell, another mem-

ber of the “High Fives.” “It issociable, it is a form of exer-cise.”

“Bowling is very excit-ing.,” said Clarence Williams.“It’s a fun game for every-body, all ages.”

Hayes, who is finishingher third year as league man-ager, said, “If anybody is in-terested in joining our leaguelook for the flyers this sum-mer at Dart Bowl.”

Tyson family asks for privacy after tot’s death

Mike TysonBy JONATHAN J.

COOPER, Associated PressWriter

PHOENIX (AP)—Thedeath of Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter in a bizarre ac-cident adds an awful chapterto the boxer’s troubled life.

Exodus Tyson died at ahospital Tuesday, a day afterher neck apparently gotcaught in a cord danglingfrom a treadmill at her Phoe-

nix home, police said.Police said Exodus ei-

ther slipped or put her headin the loop of a cord hangingunder the console and suffo-cated. She was pronounceddead just before noon afterbeing on life support, saidpolice Sgt. Andy Hill, whocalled the injury a “tragic ac-cident.”

“There are no words todescribe the tragic loss of ourbeloved Exodus,” the familysaid in a statement. “We askyou now to please respect ourneed at this very difficult timefor privacy to grieve and tryto help each other heal.”

Tyson, who has beenliving in Las Vegas, flewMonday to Phoenix, where hewas seen entering thehospital.The modest housewhere his daughter was in-jured contrasts starkly withthe lavish lifestyle Tyson hadthrough his tumultuous yearsof boxing, when he spent tensof millions of dollars and says

he had millions more stolenfrom him by unscrupulousassociates.

During two years at theheight of his career, he earned$140 million—but he filed forChapter 11 protection in U.S.Bankruptcy Court in 2003.

He has been promotinga new documentary about hislife and told The New YorkTimes earlier this month hehad been sober for 15 monthsafter years of drug and alco-hol abuse.

“I don’t know who Iam,” he told the newspaper.“That might sound stupid. Ireally have no idea. All my lifeI’ve been drinking and drug-ging and partying, and all ofa sudden this comes to astop.”Tyson first began box-ing in a facility for juveniledelinquents in upstate NewYork at the age of 12. Eightyears later, he became theyoungest heavyweight cham-pion ever when he knockedout Trevor Berbick in 1986.

But in 1990, he was defeatedby James “Buster” Douglas inone of the biggest upsets inboxing history, and soon af-ter was convicted of raping abeauty pageant contestant inIndianapolis.

Tyson, who still denieshe raped the woman, servedthree years in prison.

A few years later, heserved three months in jail forbeating up two men after aminor car crash in suburbanWashington.

As his career continued,so did his bizarre behavior.He bit off a piece of EvanderHolyfield’s ear during a box-ing match and once threat-ened to eat the children ofheavyweight championLennox Lewis.

Although Tyson’s chil-dren had lived in their unas-suming neighborhood forseveral years, he purchased aseparate home in the tonyPhoenix suburb of ParadiseValley in 2005 for $2.1 mil-lion, selling it two years laterfor $2.3 million.

In November 2007,Tyson spent 24 hours in

Maricopa County’s “TentCity” jail after pleading guiltyto one count of cocaine pos-session and one misde-meanor count of driving un-der the influence. Policefound the drug when theypulled over Tyson’s car afterhe left a Scottsdale night club.

According to police, Tyssaid after his arrest that hebought cocaine “whenever Ican get my hands on it.”

At Tyson’s sentencinghearing, nearly a year after thearrest, his attorney DavidChesnoff said his client hadtaken 29 drug tests without arelapse and was attendingAlcoholic Anonymous andNarcotics Anonymous meet-ings.

Tyson had become anexample of how a personovercomes problems withdrugs, a violent past and poorupbringing, Chesnoff said.

“He’s tried his hard-est,” his attorney said, “de-spite coming from almost im-possible beginnings.”

Associated Press writ-ers Bob Baum and Terry Tangcontributed to this report.

North TexasCrunch Replaces

Kings on TurfcatsSchedule by

Jenna Weynand

AUSTIN, Texas –“The Crunch have

proven themselves as the topteam in their league and weare happy to competeagainst them in ours, theywill be a more formidablefoe than the Kings” saidTurfcats Vice President/General Manager RonaldOswalt. “We’re ready togive them a Turfcats stylewelcome to the SIFL.”

The Crunch begantheir 2009 season on April11 and have won all four oftheir games this season.They have won their gamesby as little as two points andas many as 55. The Crunchhave one home game againstthe Texas Smash on May 30,before they begin a series offour away games againstSIFL teams.

The Turfcats will hostthe Crunch first on June 6 atthe Adfirmative.com field atthe Travis County ExpoCenter.