12
INTERVIEW www.defendernetwork.com Volume 79 Number 23 April 4 – 10, 2010 | FREE Weekend Marian Wright Edelman Fighting Childhood Obesity Weekend Personal finance How to Stretch a Dollar Click on Defendernetwork.com Monday Ron Walters Hate Spasm in American Politics By Kam Williams CONTRIBUTING WRITER Born in Gary, Indiana on May 16, 1966, Janet Damita Jo Jackson entered show business at the tender age of seven, when she appeared onstage with her already-famous elder siblings at the MGM in Las Vegas. This debut, was followed by appearances at nine on her family’s variety show “The Jacksons,” which, in turn, led to starring and recurring roles on such hit sitcoms as “Good Times,” “Diff’rent Strokes,” and “Fame.” At 14, Janet signed her first recording deal. Placing act- ing on the back burner to focus on her first love, music, she went on to enjoy extraordinary success upon the release of her breakthrough album, Control in 1986. Over the course of her ensuing musical career, she has thus far accumulated five Grammys, multiple MTV Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Soul Train Music Awards, to name a few. As an artist, Janet excites, enlightens, leads, and embraces her fans with insights into life’s meaning while touching their deep- est feelings. The film “Poetic Justice” marked this very versatile tal- ent’s first foray into acting in feature films, and that was soon followed by a co-starring role in “Nutty Professor II.” Janet later received the NAACP Image Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category for her work in “Why Did I Get Married?” Furthermore, like all of her movies, “Why Did I Get Married?” opened up #1 at the box office. Privately, Janet continues to focus on speaking out and giving back, raising money for charities such as the Cities in Schools and America’s Promise. She has also supported the Watts Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club of America, the Starlight Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, A Place Called Home in South Central LA, the American Janet Jackson in control By Stephon Johnson SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AMSTERDAM NEWS WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The American Red Cross should be put on 24-hour surveillance. That is the call from protesters who recently gathered outside Red Cross Manhattan headquarters. When Haiti suffered an undeserving fate via a major earth- quake January 12, there was an outpouring of philanthropic action from around the world. Donations of money, supplies and food were sent to some of the world’s biggest charities. RED CROSS, Page 3 JANET, Page 2 By Aswad Walker DEFENDER “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” These words from Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, are quite fitting when viewing Ronald Green’s ascension to the position of Houston’s City Controller. As the first African American to hold that posi- tion in the city’s 174 year history, Green’s accomplishment is definitely noteworthy, and reflective of a new social par- adigm that recognizes the abilities of African Americans to be CEOs, CFO’s and captains of industry. Yet, with the worst economic reality in the country and city in decades, coupled with the horrendous drop-out, incarceration and homicide rates of Green’s fellow African-American males, he has taken the position of City Controller during what is viewed by many as the “worst of times.” Undeterred, Green has hit the ground running and plans on overseeing a successful change of fortunes for the city’s economic health, while doing his part to impact a similar change of fortunes for African-American males in general. RON GREEN, Page 9 FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN HOUSTON CONTROLLER By Hazel Trice Edney NNPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Former NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume, a former Congressman and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, will take the helm of the nation’s oldest and largest Black med- ical association at the end of this month. “I have dedicated my life to ending Where is Red Cross aid to Haiti? BLACK DOCTORS, Page 2 Kweisi Mfume heads Black doctor group Kweisi Mfume Ron Green By ReShonda Tate Billingsley DEFENDER The 2010 tax deadline is right around the corner. If you’ve been holding out to file because you think you might owe, or you just don’t want to tackle the task of gathering up receipts, W2s and other tax items, tax experts say the time for pro- crastination is over. If you haven’t filed, (and even if you have and would like to go back and amend your taxes) there are a few bright spots for filers, the biggest being a new credit for first-time homebuyers. “A lot of taxpayers believe that the first time homebuyers plan only applies if this is your first home,” said Tiffany Robinson of Regency Tax Solutions. “Just know that it also applies to long- time homebuyers, which means that you already own a home and you may be buying a second home, whether it be a vacation property or an investment prop- erty.” For first-time homebuyers, the credit will be up to $8,000, which Robinson says is a refundable credit. Those taking the credit for their second home, will receive up to $6,000. Countdown to tax day April 15th TAX DAY, Page 9 Talks about his first 90 Days Homeland Security Meeting The Port of Houston recently hosted U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. The meeting focused on collaborative homeland security efforts by public and private industry partners along the Houston Ship Channel. On hand for the important meeting were (l. to r.) U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX); U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX); PHA Commissioner Elyse Lanier; PHA Chairman James T. Edmonds; Thompson; Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia; U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (R- TX); U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX); Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia; and State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston). City of Houston’s Top Five Financial Issues Closing the budget gap of $99.5 million Identifying adequate resources to implement cost savings citywide Addressing the city’s pension problem Identifying additional stimulus funds Gaining efficiences in management and internal controls

April 4, 2010

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Houston's Leading Black Information Source

Citation preview

Page 1: April 4, 2010

INTERVIEW

www.defendernetwork.com

Volume 79 Number 23 April 4 – 10, 2010 | FREE

Weekend

Marian Wright EdelmanFighting Childhood Obesity

Weekend

Personal financeHow to Stretch a Dollar

Click on Defendernetwork.comMonday

Ron WaltersHate Spasm in American Politics

By Kam WilliamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Born in Gary, Indiana on May 16, 1966, Janet DamitaJo Jackson entered show business at the tender age of seven,when she appeared onstage with her already-famous eldersiblings at the MGM in Las Vegas. This debut, was followedby appearances at nine on her family’s variety show “TheJacksons,” which, in turn, led to starring and recurring roleson such hit sitcoms as “Good Times,” “Diff’rent Strokes,”and “Fame.”

At 14, Janet signed her first recording deal. Placing act-ing on the back burner to focus on her first love, music, shewent on to enjoy extraordinary success upon the release ofher breakthrough album, Control in 1986. Over the courseof her ensuing musical career, she has thus far accumulatedfive Grammys, multiple MTV Awards, Billboard MusicAwards, and Soul Train Music Awards, to name a few. As an

artist, Janet excites, enlightens, leads, and embraces her fanswith insights into life’s meaning while touching their deep-est feelings.

The film “Poetic Justice” marked this very versatile tal-ent’s first foray into acting in feature films, and that wassoon followed by a co-starring role in “Nutty Professor II.”Janet later received the NAACP Image Award in theOutstanding Supporting Actress category for her work in“Why Did I Get Married?” Furthermore, like all of hermovies, “Why Did I Get Married?” opened up #1 at the boxoffice.

Privately, Janet continues to focus on speaking out andgiving back, raising money for charities such as the Cities inSchools and America’s Promise. She has also supported theWatts Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club of America, theStarlight Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, A PlaceCalled Home in South Central LA, the American

Janet Jackson in control

By Stephon JohnsonSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AMSTERDAM NEWS

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The American Red Crossshould be put on 24-hour surveillance. That is the call fromprotesters who recently gathered outside Red CrossManhattan headquarters.

When Haiti suffered an undeserving fate via a major earth-quake January 12, there was an outpouring of philanthropicaction from around the world. Donations of money, suppliesand food were sent to some of the world’s biggest charities.

★RED CROSS, Page 3

★JANET, Page 2

By Aswad WalkerDEFENDER

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”These words from Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Taleof Two Cities, are quite fitting when viewing RonaldGreen’s ascension to the position of Houston’s CityController. As the first African American to hold that posi-tion in the city’s 174 year history, Green’s accomplishmentis definitely noteworthy, and reflective of a new social par-adigm that recognizes the abilities of African Americans tobe CEOs, CFO’s and captains of industry. Yet, with theworst economic reality in the country and city in decades,coupled with the horrendous drop-out, incarceration andhomicide rates of Green’s fellow African-American males,he has taken the position of City Controller during what isviewed by many as the “worst of times.”

Undeterred, Green has hit the ground running and planson overseeing a successful change of fortunes for the city’seconomic health, while doing his part to impact a similarchange of fortunes for African-American males in general.

★RON GREEN, Page 9

F I R S T A F R I C A N - A M E R I C A N H O U S T O N C O N T R O L L E R

By Hazel Trice EdneyNNPA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - FormerNAACP President and CEO KweisiMfume, a former Congressman andchair of the Congressional BlackCaucus, will take the helm of thenation’s oldest and largest Black med-ical association at the end of this month.

“I have dedicated my life to ending

Where isRed Crossaid to Haiti?

★BLACK DOCTORS, Page 2

Kweisi Mfume headsBlack doctor group

Kweisi Mfume

Ron Green

By ReShonda Tate BillingsleyDEFENDER

The 2010 tax deadline is right aroundthe corner. If you’ve been holding out tofile because you think you might owe, oryou just don’t want to tackle the task ofgathering up receipts, W2s and other taxitems, tax experts say the time for pro-crastination is over.

If you haven’t filed, (and even if youhave and would like to go back andamend your taxes) there are a few brightspots for filers, the biggest being a newcredit for first-time homebuyers.

“A lot of taxpayers believe that the

first time homebuyers plan only appliesif this is your first home,” said TiffanyRobinson of Regency Tax Solutions.“Just know that it also applies to long-time homebuyers, which means that youalready own a home and you may bebuying a second home, whether it be avacation property or an investment prop-erty.”

For first-time homebuyers, the creditwill be up to $8,000, which Robinsonsays is a refundable credit. Those takingthe credit for their second home, willreceive up to $6,000.

Countdown to taxday April 15th

★TAX DAY, Page 9

Talks about hisfirst 90 Days

Homeland Security MeetingThe Port of Houston recently hosted U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), Chairmanof the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. The meeting focused on collaborativehomeland security efforts by public and private industry partners along the Houston ShipChannel. On hand for the important meeting were (l. to r.) U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX);U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX); PHA Commissioner Elyse Lanier; PHA Chairman James T.Edmonds; Thompson; Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia; U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX); U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX); Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia; and State Sen. RodneyEllis (D-Houston).

City of Houston’s TopFive Financial Issues■ Closing the budget gap of $99.5 million

■ Identifying adequate resources to implement cost savings citywide

■ Addressing the city’s pension problem

■ Identifying additional stimulus funds

■ Gaining efficiences in management andinternal controls

Page 2: April 4, 2010

2 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER

Foundation for AIDSResearch, S.O.S. Children’sVillages in South Africa,Cartier’s Love BraceletProgram benefiting OCNAand she sponsored an Airlift ofFood and Medical supplies tofamine-stricken Rwanda. Inaddition, Janet established theRhythm Nation Scholarshipwith the UNCF and has assist-ed numerous students strivingto meet their educationalgoals.

Most recently, Janet hon-ored her brother Michael’slegacy and supported the peo-ple of Haiti by joining over 80artists who collaborated torecord “We Are the World 25for Haiti,” the classic 1985charity anthem re-imagined byLionel Richie and QuincyJones to support the earth-quake relief efforts. Not sur-prisingly, Janet has been hon-ored with countless humani-tarian awards in response toher dedication to helping oth-ers.

Later this year, Janetplans to publish her autobiog-raphy, providing an intimatelook at her life. Here, shetalks about reprising the roleof Pat in Tyler Perry’s “WhyDid I Get Married Too,” oneof those rare sequels, which isactually better than the origi-nal.

Kam Williams: Thanks somuch for the time, Janet. I’mhonored to have this opportu-nity to speak with you.

Janet Jackson: It’s mypleasure.

KW: First of all, pleaseallow me to express my condo-lences on the loss of yourbrother, Michael.

JJ: Thank you.KW: Watching “Why Did I

Get Married Too,” the firstthing I noticed was that itafforded you an opportunity todisplay a much greater rangeof emotions. How did youenjoy that?

JJ: I loved it! I absolutelyloved it. I was so thankful thatTyler had written such anamazing piece for me toexplore. So, I was really excit-ed about it. When he first gaveme the script, he warned me,“When you read this, you’rereally going to flip out. I thinkit’s going to be exciting foryou.” And it was.

KW: It’s very rare that anentire ensemble cast comesback for a sequel. How was itbeing reunited with everybodyagain?

JJ: I loved being withthem again. It truly is a family.There’s closeness and connec-tion. After filming the original,when we went our separateways, I felt like I had a newgroup of friends. We stayed intouch and tried to see eachother whenever we were in

town or in between projects.So, the minute we heard therewas going to be a sequel, allof us were immediately onboard, knowing we would beable to get back togetheragain. And then, for half of itto be shot in The Bahamasmade going to work feel likebeing on vacation with yourfriends. The crew memberswere sweethearts, too.

KW: What a refreshingdifference from those night-mare shoots you sometimeshear about that sound like aclash of egos.

JJ: I credit Tyler. It’sTyler’s vision. He’s created atrue family.

KW: What is it about Tylerthat makes him special?

JJ: He’s an amazing man.One of the things that I lovemost about him is that he hasthis spirituality about him, andit’s a really big part of who heis. I adore Tyler, and I lovethat about him.

KW: All your previousfilms have opened up in the #1

spot at the box office. Do youfeel any pressure to keep upthe string?

JJ: I don’t feel any pres-sure at all. You know what? Ihonestly wouldn’t even havethought about it, if anotherjournalist hadn’t brought it tomy attention. Would it begreat if it did? Of course. If itdoesn’t open at #1, am I goingto be bummed out? No. I’vebeen so blessed and I’m justthankful to be a part of theproject and grateful to Tylerfor giving me another oppor-tunity to explore this charac-ter.

KW: What do you thinkthe experience will be like forthe audience?

JJ: I think more so thananything, people are going toenjoy the film and they’ll alsowalk away learning a lot fromit.

KW: By the way, I love“Nothing,” the film’s themethat you sing on the sound-track. I hope it lands youanother Oscar nomination like

the song “Again” did for youwith Poetic Justice.

JJ: Thank you very much.That would be really nice.

KW: Which do you enjoydoing more, acting or singing?

JJ: I enjoy them both agreat deal. I have a passion forboth. Maybe acting just a littlebit more because it’s more ofa challenge for me, whilemusic comes so easily.

KW: Have you ever consid-ered doing an album of duets?

JJ: No, I have not, butthat’s a very good idea. Maybesomeday that’ll actually hap-pen.

KW: Do you plan to pro-duce movies?

JJ: I would love to. Adream of mine is to producefilms, as well as to producecontent for television.

KW: What movie you’ll bemaking next.

JJ: “For Colored Girls,”an adaptation of the play.We’ll start shooting that nottoo long from now.

KW: What’s the biggest

way you’ve grown as anactress since “Poetic Justice,”and do you find that with eachrole you discover somethingnew about yourself?

JJ: I always knew that Icould go deep. How deep? Idon’t know. But it alwaysseems that with each characterI take on, I’m challenged to godeeper than the last time, andthen again deeper than the lasttime. This is the deepest I’veever been asked to dive. Andto see how deep I actuallywent for this, and that I wasn’tafraid to go there in order togive Tyler exactly what heenvisioned for the character,which was pretty deep, that’swhat I discovered aboutmyself.

KW: What gives the great-est meaning to your life?

JJ: It would have to beGod.

KW: What are you doingto make a long-lasting, posi-tive impact on the world?

JJ: I work with a lot ofdifferent charities, and by thatI don’t mean merely by givingmoney, but by really gettinginvolved hands-on. I’vealways said that one of thereasons why I was put on thisEarth was to help people.That’s something I’ve alwaysenjoyed both here in Americaand if I have the opportunitywhen I’m traveling out of thecountry. For example, I like tovisit orphanages to spend timewith the children. That’s veryimportant to me.

KW: Is there any questionno one ever asks you, that youwish someone would?

JJ: That’s the questionright there! [Laughs] That’s agood question.

KW: Well, on that note, letme thank you again for theinterview, Janet.

JJ: Thank you very much.

Janetcontinued from page 1

Photo:Quantrell Colbert

Patricia (Janet Jackson, left), Dianne (Sharon Leal, center), and Sheila (Jill Scott, right) in TYLER PERRY’S “WHY DID IGET MARRIED TOO?”

the economic and social barriers that continue toconfront people of color all across our nation,”Mfume told the NNPA this week. “The NationalMedical Association has been the conscience ofthe medical profession by making sure thatAfrican-Americans and the underserved have avoice in their health and health care.” He con-tinued, “We have a long way to go to truly elim-inate health disparities, but now is the time towork with, political, medical and communityleaders to make that vision real.”

Mfume served in Congress, representingMaryland’s 7th Congressional District for fiveterms until he became NAACP chief, a positionin which he served for nine years until 2004.

“With such an intense national focus on healthpolicy, Kweisi Mfume brings significant expert-ise to our organization that will directly benefitour members as they navigate the ever-changinglandscape of health care,” said NMA PresidentWillarda V. Edwards in a statement. Edwards isa medical doctor who leads the 30,000-Blackdoctor organization.

Wilma J. Wooten, the doctor who chairs theNMA Board of Trustees, said in a statement thatMfume’s “commitment to the most vulnerablein our communities makes him a natural fit tocontinue the NMA’s legacy of advocacy and

service.”Mfume’s leadership will likely be pivotal as

President Obama signed America’s first nation-al health care plan this week.

While serving as NAACP president and CEO,Mfume says he gained an in-depth understand-ing of health disparities in the nation’s healthcare delivery system and the devastating effectsthat such disparities have on families; especiallyin the Black community. Mfume went on toestablish the organization’s first National Officeof Health Advocacy to educate and advocate onbehalf of access and affordability in health care.

Prior to his NAACP tenure, he served as afive-term Congressman from Maryland’s 7thCongressional District, where he chaired theJoint Economic Committee, the CongressionalBlack Caucus, and co-founded theCongressional Task Force on SarcoidosisDisease Awareness. Mfume also served on theBaltimore City Council for seven years, wherehe chaired the Committee on Health.

Mfume left the NAACP six years agoannouncing that he would take a break. At thattime it was widely known that his relationshipwith NAACP board Chairman Julian Bond hadexperienced significant friction. He later ranunsuccessfully for a U. S. Senate seat inMaryland.

Black Doctorscontinued from page 1

Page 3: April 4, 2010

Celebrity telethons were heldin honor of the Haitian vic-tims. Everyone felt good aboutthemselves and their worth asa human being and moved on.

But maybe people shouldn’tmove on so quickly. There aresome who have continued tomonitor the situation in Haitiand want to make sure thatevery donated cent is used onbehalf of the Haitian people.

Organized by the December12th Movement, a non-gov-ernmental human rights organ-ization, a group called theFriday Haiti Relief Coalitiontook to the American RedCross headquarters in NewYork City to protest and askwhere over $354 million ofHaiti donation money hasgone. Only $106 million hasbeen accounted for so far.

“We have been on theground and we know the peo-ple are in need of shelter,” saidcoalition member AprilRaiford. “The money collect-ed by the Red Cross for Haitiis not getting down there andwe’re tired of the excuses.”The Red Cross, allegedly, hasa history of not handing out allof the aid that is at their dis-posal.

It’s been reported that theRed Cross raised over $3 bil-lion in aid to help the victimsof the Indian Ocean tsunami,with $500 million still held bythe relief organization. Theorganization raised over $1billion in aid to donate to thevictims of Hurricane Katrina,but kept $200 million to pre-pare for future disasters.

According to officials at theAmerican Red Cross, howev-er, the organization fell intodebt after the terrorist attacksin New York City on Sept. 11,2001. At the end of 2008, theAmerican Red Cross claimedto have a $209 million operat-ing deficit. As of earlyFebruary, that deficit was justunder $33 million. But theRed Cross fell under publicscrutiny after news leaked thatthe organization attempted toput some of the $1 billionraised after September 11 onreserve.

Last month, the AmNewsreported the emergence of pro-testers in different parts ofHaiti, including the capital,Port-au-Prince, with survivorswondering why it’s taking solong for aid to reach theirquarters.

It was reported that Gail J.

McGovern, the chief execu-tive officer of the AmericanRed Cross, was about to give afundraising pitch speech tomillionaires in Texas when shegot the news of the catastrophein Haiti by text message.While there are reports of theRed Cross acting in good faithwith Haiti, that doesn’t do anygood for the Friday Haiti

Relief Coalition, who wantclear and concise answersfrom the organization itself.

“Stop stealing the money!Where’s is the money?!” pro-testers shouted.

Last month, the AmNewsreported that federal lawenforcement officials said thatthey had received over 170complaints about fundraising

scams connected to Haitirelief. One of those scamsinvolved a fake charity thatclaimed to be the British affil-iate of the Red Cross. This iswas the real British Red Cross,officials said on their websitefollowing news of the scam.

“There is currently a fraudu-lent e-mail campaign in opera-tion soliciting donations via

Western Union andMoneyGram money transferfor Haiti on behalf of theBritish Red Cross,” read thestatement. “The British RedCross and the Western UnionCompany would like toinform the general public thatthe British Red Cross willnever solicit donations viaWestern Union money trans-

fer.”With the Red Cross going

out of its way to address scamsclaiming to be connected tothem, hopefully they’lladdress matters surroundingtheir own people, observerssuggested.

Red Crosscontinued from page 1

April 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER 3

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

Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For sub-scriptions, send $60.00 — 1 year, to:

Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston, TX 77288.Payment must accompany subscriptionrequest. All materials covered by 2009copyright... (No material herein may be

reproduced without the written permissionof the publisher).

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 23 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010

PublisherSonceria Messiah-Jiles

EditorVon Jiles

Associate EditorReShonda Billingsley

Art DirectorCale Carter

Columnist Yvette Chargois

Sports EditorsMax EdisonDarrell K. Ardison

ContributingWritersAswad Walker

WebmasterCorneleon Block

Page 4: April 4, 2010

The much-anticipated 2010 Toyota Camryhybrid four-door sedan is on its way to adealership near you.

There’s a myriad of reasons why Camryhas been America’s best-selling mid-sizedsedan for the last four years. The aestheticsare appealing both inside and out. Itsperformance and dependabilityrecords are impeccable and theCamry’s fuel economy hasalways been commensurate withits competitors.

Well how about this? The2010 Camry hybrid improvesthe vehicle’s fuel economy toa combined 34 miles per gal-lon in the city and on the high-way.

The new Camry hybrid ispowered by a hybrid synergy driv-en 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valvefour-cylinder engine paired witha permanent magnet electric motor.

Over the past decade as hybrid vehicleshave come in vogue, one of the main criti-cisms has been a degree of hesitation in thetransition between battery power and fuelpower. Although that issue has beenaddressed and improved upon, it still doesexist.

That’s an issue I can live with in exchangefor fewer trips to the gas station.

Standard equipment in the Camry hybrid

includes smart key system with push-buttonignition, front dual zone automatic climatecontrols with filter, AM/FM/CD player withsatellite radio capability, 60/40 rear foldingseat, multi-information display and powerwindows/door locks.

Employing the star safety system withvehicle dynamic integrated management thatincludes vehicle stability control with trac-

tion control, anti-lock brakes with electronicbrake force distribution and brake assistalong with driver’s side knee air bag.

Other safety features include driver andfront passenger advanced front air bags, driv-er and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags, front and rear side curtain air bagsalong with a direct tire pressure monitor sys-tem.

The National Highway TrafficSafety Administration (NHTSA) has

issued five-star government safety ratings forthe 2010 Camry hybrid in the frontal driver,crash passenger, side front seat and crash rearseat categories. The Camry also received afour-star rating in the rollover division.

The new Camry hybrid has an impressivefront fascia that includes multi-reflector pro-jector beam headlamps with automatic on/offfeature, blue-tinted headlamp bezel and sil-ver front grille with chrome-plated molding.A tried and true product just keepsgetting better.

Toyota keeps making their hybrid vehiclesbetter and better.

Most people know that improved fueleconomy is the hallmark of hybrids. Yet the2010 Toyota Prius V model gets a whopping51 miles per gallon in the city and 48 mpg onthe highway.

If for no other reason, the Prius bares con-sideration in these days of volatile gas prices.For good measure, Toyota has added optionpackages to the Prius that tend to make thevehicle a “best buy.”

With a base price of a little over $27,000,buyers can get a voice-activated touch-screenDVD navigation system with JBLAM/FM/MP3 four-disc CD changer witheight speakers. We’re talking satellite radio,hands-free phone capability and musicstreaming via bluetooth wireless along withan integrated backup camera.

Are you with me?The previous knock on hybrid cars was

that there wasn’t much power. Toyotaequipped the all-new Prius with a 1.8-literDOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine thathas no trouble accelerating to get on the free-way.

While closing monitoring the usual radar

spots, I got the Prius up to 96 milesper hour and the car was calling formore. HMMM!

This was a far cry from hybrid vehicles Ihad driven before.

Complete with a rear deck spoiler and blueaccent badges, the Prius actually resembles amid-size sports car with a decent stereo sys-tem and a long list of other amenities.

Standard equipment includes remote key-less entry, three-door smart key, push-buttonignition, cruise control along with leatherseats and steering wheel. There’s a dualglove box and two 12-volt power outlets.

You can still tell when the vehicle switch-

es from battery operation to the fuel mode,but not nearly as noticeable as in the past.

Certain things you expect from Toyota likecenter console with sliding armrest and stor-age, tilt/telescopic steering wheel with audioand cruise controls, dual front cup holdersand automatic climate control system withplasmacluster.

Safety features include enhanced vehiclestability control with traction, anti-lockbrakes with EBD and brake assist, driver andfront passenger advanced airbag system,driver and front passenger seat-mounted side

airbags and side curtainairbags and driver knee airbag.

Did I mention heated front seats and auto-dim rearview mirror with homelink?

There was more than ample legroom andheadroom for my 6-foot-3 inch frame and therear seating area is complimented with a60/40 split fold-down backrest with fold-down center armrest and adjustable head-rests.

Throw in an engine immobilizer and tirepressure-monitoring system and you’ve gotyourself quite a bargain.

PRIUS: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$27,270 (as tested- $33,079)

Engine1.8-liter four-cylinder

Combined fuel economy50 miles per gallon

Wheels17-inch aluminum alloy

CAMRY HYBRID: HIGHLIGHTS

MSRP base price$26,150 (as tested -$31,800)

Engine2.4-liter four-cylinder

Fuel economy33 miles per gallon (city), 34 mpg (highway)

Class categoryMidsize

Estimated annual fuel cost$838 (based on $1.90per gallon)

It was that time of year again.The annual high school football state

championship game and the site was in theAlamo City. I picked up my road partner(Big John) and we set sail on the 186-miletrek from Houston to San Antonio.

We were in luck too. The vehicle of choicethis time around was the 2010 Toyota FJCruiser 4X2 sports utility vehicle. You’veprobably seen them on the road. The FJCruiser resembles a smaller version of theGM Hummer.

It’s the same type of high stance vehiclewith off-road capability and plenty of interi-or room. Although the FJ Cruiser looks likea military vehicle, it has a surprisinglysmooth ride and lots of power.

The power-train consisted of a 4.0-literV6 engine that produces 258 horsepower andis matched with a five-speed automatictransmission with overdrive.

FJ Cruiser’s rugged exterior appearance ishighlighted by black overfenders with inte-grated mudguards, black bumpers withmetallic silver trim, skid plates, silver tonedoor handles and mirrors along with a two-tone exterior color with white roof top.

For comfort and convenience the FJCruiser has an eight-way adjustable driver’sseat, water-resistant seats, rubber-type floorand rear deck, 60/40 split rear seats withremovable bottom cushions and anAM/FM/MP3/CD player with six speakers,

including two in the headliner.Other interior features include power win-

dows and door locks, tilt three-spoke steer-ing wheel, dual sun visors with vanity mir-rors, map lamps, four cup holders and twobottle holders, passenger seat back pocketand rear window defogger with rear cargotie-down hooks.

Safety features include driver and frontpassenger air bags, driver and front passen-ger side impact air bags, rollover sensor,first- and second-row curtain shield air bags,tire pressure monitor system and engineimmobilizer.

The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration has awarded the FJ Cruiser afive-star rating in the frontal driver, sidefront seat and crash rear seat categories. Thevehicle earned a four-star rating in the crashpassenger division and a three-star mark inrollover.

The FJ Cruiser test vehicle had an optionpackage that consisted of power outside mir-rors with illuminated markers, backup cam-era monitor linked to the rearview mirror,running boards and a Toyota Road Division(TRD) sport package that include upgradedtires, shocks and TRD graphics.

There were numerous storage areas andplenty of leg room for two guys standingtaller that six feet.

Other than the Houston area school losingin the final, it turned out to be a great trip.

FJ CRUISER: HIGHLIGHTSMSRP base price

$23,680 (as tested - $30,707)

Fuel economy17 miles per gallon (city), 22 mpg (highway)

Engine4.0-liter V6

TransmissionFive-speed automatic

Combined fuel economy19 miles per gallon

2010 Toyota Prius

AUTO NEWS4 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER

2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser

By Darrell K. Ardison

2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Page 5: April 4, 2010

Cy-Fair High School seniorpost Chiney Ogwumikeachieved a rare trifecta lastweek.

The Most Valuable Player inthe recent Class 5A state cham-pionship game as the LadyBobcats defeated Fort BendHightower 65-41, Ogwumikeexpected to attend an assemblyin the school’s auditorium cele-brating the girls basketball title.

What transpired was anassembly honoring Ogwumikeas the Gatorade National GirlsBasketball Player of the Year.

It was Ogwumike’s thirdnational player of the yearaward in one week. She wasalso selected the ParadeMagazine and Naismith Playerof the Year in Atlanta, GA. ear-lier in the week.

The Gatorade award waspresented to Ogwumike by herolder sister, StanfordUniversity standout Nneka, viaa satellite link.

Nneka received the honor in2008, making the sisters thefirst pair of siblings to win theaward.

Winners of the award haveto meet three criteria – athleticachievement, academic excel-lence and exemplary character.

The younger Ogwumikeaveraged 23 points and 12rebounds this season whileleading Cy-Fair to its secondstate title in three years.

Along with her nationalawards, Ogwumike was chosenas a McDonald’s All-American. She ranks third inher class and is the student

Britteny Grinds the OppositionWe knew it would happen,

we just didn’t know how soon.Well, the answer is now.Baylor freshman sensation,6’8” Britteny Griner (NimitzH.S.) has led the Lady Bears tothe Final Four.

The Baylor team validatedtheir ticket by defeating Duke51-48 in the regional finals.

Griner barely missed herthird triple-double of the sea-son, finishing with 15 points,11 rebounds and nine blocks.Her turnaround jump shot putthe Lady Bears ahead for goodwith 45 seconds remaining inthe game.

“I knew we needed thatbucket so I did everything Icould to get position and tohave [the defender] pinnedbehind me and step throughand go up strong,” Griner said.

Defensively, Griner has beena dominating presence through-out the tournament. Sheblocked 14 shots in the secondround against Georgetown toset an NCAA tournament sin-gle-game record. She has 35blocks through four tournamentgames. That broke the previousrecord of 30 by Duke’s AlisonBales in 2006.

Of course Britteny, pre-dictably downplays the accom-plishment.

“I think it would be kind offunny to be 6-8 and not haveany blocks at all. You just seethe shot and try to throw it outof bounds.”

Things only get tougher forBrittany and Baylor in theFinal Four. They face defend-ing national championConnecticut Sunday (4/4).Stanford Makes the Final Four

If you didn’t know that thegreater Houston area turns outsome of the best girl’s basket-ball players in the country, well

★ARDISON, Page 6

★EDISON, Page 6

APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER 5SPORTS

Max Edisonon

Sports

Darrell Ardison

on H.S.Sports

By Max EdisonDEFENDER

The long road to the Final Fourconcludes this weekend at theLucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.Duke, Butler, West Virginia andMichigan State have all had theirtickets punched and their appear-ances validated. When the gamestip off, CBS lead analyst ClarkKellogg will have the best seat inthe house.

Kellogg, a former Ohio State All-American, is currently in his secondyear as the lead analyst for CBS’saward winning coverage of collegebasketball’s crown jewel, MarchMadness. Paired with play-by-playman and Houston native, JimNantz, they have a bird’s eye viewof every second of thrilling action.After eighteen years of involve-ment, Kellogg is continuallyamazed at the tournament’s popu-larity.

“It’s unbelievable when you con-sider where this tournament hasgone over the past 15-20 years andhow big it has become,” Kelloggshared. “The format is such that itattracts a lot of casual fans. Thebrackets, selection, only 65 teamsbeing able to make the field, howlong it is (only three weeks) andhow rapidly that time goes by andthe fact that it crowns a legitimate,official championship at the end ofthe three-week run, all of those fac-tors contribute to the tournament’senduring popularity.”

With the tournament’s popularitythere has been some discussion bythe NCAA of expanding the fieldbeyond 65 teams, an idea Kellogg isbeginning to warm up to.

“I’m more open to it (expansion)than I once was,” Clark conceded.“Hearing the NCAA talk aboutwhat the potential for expansionmight look like, going to 68, 80 ormaybe 96 teams, to me, makessome sense. You’ve had somegrowth in the number of teams thatare competing in Division I basket-ball. The last time the tournamentexpanded was in 1985. When youlook at it, 65 of the 347 teams makeit, that’s a relatively small percent-

age of teams. Change isalways uncomfortable,especially when you havea product that has been assuccessful and popular asthis tournament has been,but change doesn’t haveto be bad.”

Clark Kellogg’s pro-gression in the business oftelevision sports, in manyways, compares similarly to theNCAA tourney. Kellogg, a first-round selection by the IndianaPacers was a highly touted NBAstar whose career was reduced to amere five seasons before beingforced to retire due to chronic kneeproblems. His passion turned to tel-evision as a way to stay connectedto the game he loved.

“I love the game. I love beingaround the game. I was 26 when Ihad to give it up because of my kneetrouble. I had a lot of basketball leftin me. This has been a tremendousway for me to get that out. I wasn’tinterested in coaching, so I wentinto this (television) full bore.”

“I’ve always approached this thesame way I approached playing,”Kellogg explained. “When I got

into this business I knew Ihad a chance to be goodand I wanted to be excel-lent. It’s how we honor Godwhen we pursue excellenceand it’s how we shouldapproach all that we do, nomatter what our professionis. Over the years, I’ve hada number of people comealong beside me and help

me understand what it would take toget better. I would demand con-structive criticism. People wouldhave to tell me what I needed tohear, not what they thought I want-ed to hear. Once they saw I was seri-ous about trying to get better, I wasable to make rapid progress.”

Kellogg’s progression in televi-sion has been steady. He started outworking with the Pacer broadcastteam after his retirement. ACleveland native, Clarke did televi-sion work for Cleveland State bas-ketball, and then served an eight-year stint at ESPN, serving as a stu-dio host for their college basketballshow. He started full time at CBS in1997, becoming a studio host/gameanalyst. Kellogg enjoyed life in thestudio, but indicates there is a major

difference in the assignments.“When you’re in that studio you

work a lot of hours. It’s literally24/7 for the duration of the tourna-ment,” Clark recalled. “That’s a lotof hours and requires great stamina.In the field, the days that you’re notworking a game are days off. Wework Friday and Sunday here inHouston. Thursday was a day towatch teams practice and Saturdaywas a day off. I loved the studio andI miss the guys I worked with, but Idon’t miss those marathon days. Irelish the opportunity to have a dayoff!”

Days off for Clark Kellogg do notnecessarily mean days withoutwork.

“I’m always reading and I watchan awful lot of tape. Preparation iskey in this business. I get out and dogames during the year, so I’ve seenabout a third of the field. That way Iknow key players on a team, coach-ing strategies and styles of play. Ireally prepare in the field the sameway as if I were in the studio.”

Last year, he replaced the venera-ble Billy Packer as the lead CBS

By Darrell K. ArdisonDEFENDER

With a bright sun shining over theRice University Track Stadium lastSaturday, Dulles High Schoolsprinter Sheroid Evans and ChristyUdoh of Westbury High Schooldelivered strong performances atthe 28th annual Victor LopezClassic.

More than 2,000 high school andcollegiate athletes competed in theevent that serves as an opening actfor this weekend’s Texas Relays inAustin.

Evans was a double winner as hetook first place in both the 100- and200-meter dashes. The junior, whohas already committed to theUniversity of Texas, bested a star-studded field that includedDeAndrew White of North Shore.

“I faced DeAndrew last year atthe state meet and I didn’t do aswell. I was ready for him this time,”Evans said. “Honestly, I wasn’tworried about running out of laneeight. Last year at the JuniorOlympics, I ran out of lane eight inthe prelims and ran a 24.09.

“I didn’t get out of the blockswell during the prelims on Friday soI tried to do a better job in the finalsand dug in on the last 40 meters torun through the tape,” Evans said.

With a near-capacity crowd onhand, Evans kept his unbeatenstreak during the 2010 season aliveby clocking a venue-record time of20.76 seconds in the high schooldivision. He followed that up with a10.49 second effort to win the 100-meter dash.

“I’m looking forward to theTexas Relays and doing better thanI did here,” Evans said.

Udoh followed up her sterlingperformance at the Texas SouthernRelays with another strong showingat Rice. She won the 200-meterdash and ran a leg on the LadyRebels’ record-setting 4X100 relayteam.

“I was a bit nervous and I alwaysbattles nerves when I get on thetrack,” Udoh said. “But once I getoff that curve and on to the straight-away, I’m fine. I get back to mywork ethic and everything seems tofall into place.

“The weather was a lot better thisweekend and I was aware that a lotof girls were out there trying to getme,” Udoh said. “I wasn’t about tolet that happen because I had toomany people that came to see me

today and I felt like I’d worked toohard to see myself defeated. So Icame out here and ran my race andprayed. I was fortunate enough toget lane four again in the finals andI had to work to get it.”

Udoh talked about the energy thatit takes to compete in more than oneevent.

“During practice our coach putsus on intervals where we have to geton the starting line and get back off.We do that over and over,” Udohsaid. “That helps us judge our speedand helps us learn to pace our-selves.”

Willowridge High School hurdlerLavon Collins coasted to a victoryin the 300-meter hurdles (38.49) ashe finished more than one secondahead of the competition.

“I felt good throughout the race,”Collins said. “I’m real pleased withthe way the season has progressed.”

Former Fort Bend Marshallstandout sprinter Brandi Cross had-n’t competed on a Houston-areatrack since graduating in 2006. Sheblazed the backstretch in the 400-meter dash and turned in a track-record time of 52.68 seconds.

It marked the best time in thenation and second-fastest clockingin the world this year. “I wasn’texpecting to run that fast,” saidCross, who was in town for hergrandfather’s 75th birthday celebra-tion. “Last year around this time, Iwas running 53 seconds. I’m aheadof schedule and with this being mylast year, I want to do well so I canhopefully turn professional aftergraduation.”

Cross, who still holds the staterecord (52.46) in the 400, also com-peted in the 200-meter dash andplaced forth (24.15). She currentlyattends the University of SouthCarolina.

Kingwood Park’s Brett Parkerestablished two meet records whilerunning the same distance. Parkerran strong out of the last turn to winthe 400-meter dash in a time of47.73 seconds. He also anchored his4X400 meter relay team to a recordtime of three minutes, 14.49 sec-onds.

Other meet standouts includedKelsey Miller of Cinco Ranch whowon the 800-meter run in a time oftwo minutes, 13.17 seconds.

“When I ran my leg, I knew wewere already out front,” Parker said.“I just tried to hold on and finishstrong.”

★LOPEZ CLASSIC, Page 6

Westbury sprinter Christy Udoh

Evans, Udoh shine bright at Victor Lopez Classic

Dulles sprinter Sheroid Evans

Photo: Mitchell Layton ©2010 Mitchell Layton

CBS NCAA Basketball Analyst Clark Kellogg and President Barack Obama, courtside at the Duke-Georgetown game.

Clark KelloggCBS college basketball analyst works his way to the top

Clark Kellogg

★KELLOGG, Page 6

Page 6: April 4, 2010

Spring Westfield’s DamienDavis won the 110-meter hur-dles with a clocking of 14.65seconds.

The number of athletes wasthe largest ever assembled forthe Victor Lopez Classic. Thevenue also showcased itsbrand new blue Benyon track

surface.Rice senior Britany

Williams turned in one ofthe meet’s special perform-ances when she broke theschool record in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16minutes, 19.27 seconds. Sheeclipsed the mark set by for-mer teammate Callie Wells(16:20.95) last year in PaloAlto, Calif.

6 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDERSPORTS

body president. Earlier this year, she signed with Stanford torejoin her sister.

While Ogwumike was gathering individual honors, the two-time Class 4A state champion Yates Lions were sweeping No.1 rankings in five different national polls.

The latest national polls were released last week and theback-to-back state champs were selected atop each one ofthem. Final rankings for the five national polls will be releasedin April.

The 34-0 Lions defeated Lancaster 92-73 in the March 13thClass 4A state title game. They were already top-ranked in theRivalsHigh 100 and the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.

Columbus (Ohio) Northland was formerly the No. 1 rankedschool in the other three national polls, including the USAtoday super 25, the ESPN RISE Fab 50 and the PrepNationNational Prep Poll.

Northland lost to Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln 71-45 in a region-al final that opened the door for Yates’ ascension to the top.

In addition to winning two out-of-state national tournaments,another Texas state title and defeating nationally-rankedPhiladelphia Neumann-Goretti, Yates set national records forconsecutive 100-points games (15) and scoring average (116.2points per game).

Yates ended the season with a 58-game winning streakwhich covers two seasons and had an average margin of victo-ry of 50.7 points per game.

Ardisoncontinued from page 5

keep reading. The Stanford Cardinal Ladies basketball

team has advanced to the Women’s FinalFour by defeating Xavier 55-53. LadyCardinal Jeanette Pohlen drove the lengthof the court for the game-winning layup asthe final buzzer sounded, lifting top-seed-ed Stanford into the Big Dance finale inSan Antonio.

The Stanford team is led by former Cy-Fair All-American Nnemkadi Ogwumike.Against Xavier she recorded 16 points and14 rebounds.

Ogwumike, a sophomore, led theStanford team in scoring (18.2 ppg.) andrebounding (9.6 rpg.) for the season that

saw the team post a 35-1 record. Theironly loss, to #1 rated and undefeatedConnecticut. In three tournament winsOgwumike has scored a total of 58 pointsand grabbed 34 rebounds.

“I’m more of a knowledgeable player.I’ve almost acquired some wisdom,”Nnemkadi said. “When you first step onthe court here, you’re integrating into anew program and a new team, new plays,a new school. Not only have I gotten moreused to life here at Stanford, the relation-ships I’ve developed and continue todevelop help me to become the person thatI am and the player that I am. My teamhas helped me become more versatile.”

Nnemkadi’s game is equally appreciatedby teammates and opponents.

“Nneka’s amazing,” teammate Rosalyn

Gold-Onwude said. “Nneka’s always beengood but after one year of experienceunder her belt, she’s like a woman amongchildren, really. It’s like an aerial displayof athleticism.”

“She’s beautiful to watch,” Iowa coachLisa Bluder said. “This place should besold out every game just to watch her play.She’s a physical specimen. You can’t boxher out. We tried hard but she floats overthe top of you.”

Nnemkadi will be joined next season atStanford by her sister Chiney, who led Cy-Fair to the 5A state championship and wasnamed National Player of the Year.

Both Ogwumike and home-girl BrittneyGriner were named second team All-Americans.

Edisoncontinued from page 5

Lopez Classiccontinued from page 5

CLASSIFIED

BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR Peck /MacArthur Elementary SchoolHouston Independent School District (HISD)

Turner Construction Company, Inc., as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HISD, in accordancewith Texas Education Code Section 44.038, will receive bids or proposals from subcontractors forreplacement of Peck / MacArthur Elementary School. The work includes construction of a new2-story school, and site work. Bids or proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April13, 2010, at the offices of Turner Construction Company, Inc., 4263 Dacoma Street, Houston,Texas 77092, phone 713 840-8441, fax 713 840-8365 attention: Todd Granato or Juan Romero.

The plans and specifications will be available beginning Monday, March 29, 2010, and may beobtained from Ridgeways Repograpics 2900 Smith Street, 713 953-2338 and A&E, TheGraphics Complex, 713-579-1234 or www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of$250.00 for each set of printed plans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also avail-able from A&E on disk for a deposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD.Requests for access to on-line documents and any questions regarding documents are to beaddressed to Turner Construction Company, Inc., 4263 Dacoma Street, Houston, Texas 77092,phone 713 840-8441, fax 713 840-8365 attention: Todd Granato or Juan Romero.

M/WBE documents as described below will be received until 4:00 p.m. on the due date. There willbe no public opening of bids or proposals. All bids or proposals shall be available after award ofcontract or the 7th day after final selection of bids or proposals, whichever is later. After receipt ofbids or proposals, Turner Construction will conduct its evaluation of the subcontractor bids orproposals in relation to the project requirements and will select the bid(s) or proposal(s) that offersthe best value to HISD.

Turner Construction Company, Inc., is committed to meeting the M/WBE goals set for this proj-ect. M/WBE forms, schedules and statements, as required by the package documents, shall accom-pany each bid or proposal that is submitted. BIDS OR PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT ALLREQUIRED INFORMATION AND IN THE MANNER SPECIFIED MAY BE CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSIVE.

A pre-bid/proposal conference will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, April 5, 2010, at The Palm Center(Training Room No. 1), 5330 Griggs Road, Houston, TX 77021

Drawings and Specifications may be reviewed at:Turner Construction Company, Inc., Turner Construction Company, Inc., 4263 Dacoma Street,Houston, Texas 77092, phone 713 840-8441, fax 713 840-8365 attention: Todd Granato. andthe following Houston locations:

A.O. Phillips & Associates, 4615 Freeway, Suite 510, (713) 621-8532Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222Alliance of Minority Contractors of Houston, 1616 West 22nd Street (713) 802-4145 Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr,Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269Hispanic Contractor’s Association, 7 Parker Road (713) 699-2732Reed Construction Data

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: 10-02-10 / RFP: UIL Theatrical Unit Sets & Replacement Pieces, with a deadline of10:00 A.M., Wednesday, April 14, 2010.The Pre-Bid/Proposal Conference for this project will bein Room 2C18 at the above stated address on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at 10:00 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

ATTENTION-PRIVATE NON-PROFIT SCHOOLSHOUSTON, TEXAS

Action Required:Private Non-Profit Schools located within the Houston ISD boundaries may be eligible toreceive services from certain Federal Programs under the No Child Left Behind Program. TheLEA will provide services to eligible students in accordance with section 1120 (Participation ofChildren Enrolled in Private Schools).

Please contact Houston ISD for more details.Title I, Part A, Title II, Part A, and Title II, Part D-713-556-6928Title IV, Part A-Safe and Drug Free Schools-713-556-7000Title III, Part A and Title I, Part C-713-556-6961

Due to program deadlines, please contact our office(s) by April 5, 2010.

LEGAL NOTICENeighborhood Centers Inc. (NCI), a non-profit human services organization,

announces a Request for Proposal (RFP) #10-04 for Food & Dairy Products. The

deadline for submitting a proposal is Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by 2:00

p.m. (CST). To receive RFP #10-04, e-mail Solomon Surles III, Contracts and

Supply Management Coordinator, at [email protected].

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS INC. ENCOURAGES SMALL

AND HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES TO APPLY.

basketball game analyst, pairing him with Houstonian, play-by-play man, Jim Nantz. The promotion places Kellogg at the topof the mountain in the college basketball business.

“Working with Jim has been phenomenal. He’s gracious, ahall of fame broadcaster, who has tremendous passion for whathe does. He made me feel welcome from the time I sat downnext to him last year and it’s been a good fit. He and I enjoyeach other and have respect for each other’s ability. I thinkwe’re growing into a really good team that people enjoy listen-ing to.”

Kelloggcontinued from page 5

Page 7: April 4, 2010

Eating a healthy diet is very important as you getolder because the food you eat affects your mental andemotional well being, your energy level, your strength,your weight and your future health.At a restaurant

Eating healthy on the run doesn’t have to be hard.The following are suggestions to help you eat healthyat a restaurant:• Sauces and salad dressings should be served

on the side and used in small amounts. Use low-calorie dressings.

• Ask for half-portions or take home half.• Use salsa and mustard instead of mayonnaise or oil.• Ask for olive oil or canola oil instead of butter, mar-

garine or shortening.• Choose nonfat or low-fat milk instead of whole milk

or cream.• Order baked, broiled or grilled (not fried) lean meats

including turkey, chicken, seafood or sirloin steak.• Salad, vegetables or baked potatoes make healthier

side dishes than French fries.• Treat yourself to fresh fruit instead of sugary,

high-fat desserts.At the mallYou can eat healthy while shopping at the mall too.Here are some healthier choices:• Single slice of veggie pizza• Grilled (not fried) sandwiches like a grilled chicken

breast sandwich• Small hamburger

APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER 7OUR HEALTH

About Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Children’s Hospital is committed to a community of healthy children by providing the finest

pediatric patient care, education and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and

breakthrough developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children’s is ranked in the top

ten best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

For more information on Texas Children’s Hospital, visit www.texaschildrens.org.

A Defender & Texas Children’s Hospital Alliance

April 24 through May 1 is NationalInfant Immunization Week. Are yourchild’s immunizations up to date?

Proper and timely immunizations arecritical to disease prevention for your childand your family. Texas Children’s Hospitalencourages parents to keep their child’sshots up to date.

Children need immunizations to protectthem from dangerous diseases. These dis-eases have serious complications and caneven cause death. Ask your child’s pedia-trician about which shots are recommend-ed and the age at which they should bereceived.

A shot record helps you and your child’sdoctor keep your child on schedule. A shotrecord should be started at birth and updat-ed each time your child receives an immu-nization. The shot record will help you if

Love them. Protectthem. Immunize them.

The entire family should make healthy food choices when dining at a restaurant.

★IMMUNIZE, Page 8

★EATING OUT, Page 8

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Duringthis month, it is a good time to remind parents about the risksof child abuse. Being a parent is a 24-hour-a-day job.Sometimes it can feel very tiring and extra challenges can addto your stress. For example:• Having a new baby• Having a child with a disability• Feeling alone, or not having friends or family nearby

• Being a single parent or having a partner who does notsupport you

• Dealing with money troubles, problems with your job orhousing concerns

What you might be feelingWhen life is stressful, you may sometimes feel:• Angry – At your spouse, your friends or even your children• Lonely – Like you are the only person dealing with so

many problems• Depressed – Sad and unable to face your problems• Overwhelmed – You don’t know where to begin or you

feel like giving upWhat you can do

If you think stress may be affecting the way you treat yourchildren, or if you just want some extra support, try

the following:• Talk to someone – Tell a friend, doctor, counselor or leader

in your faith community how you feel. Join a supportgroup or class for parents.

• Get babysitting help when you need a break – Some parents may babysit for each other, so each parent gets a break.

• Reach out to other parents – Talk to parents with childrenthe same age as your child at a local playground, yourchurch, or your child’s day care or school.

• Call a help line – Most states have help lines for parents.Childhelp® has a national 24-hour hotline for parents who need help or parenting advice. The number is 1-800-422-4453.

Source: http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/promoting/parenting

Eating well while eating out

Talking to a friend, doctor, counselor or leader in the faith community can help alleviate the stress of being a parent.

Finding helpwhen you need it

Help prevent child abuse

Although children often fear them,immunizations are critical to prevent anumber of dangerous diseases.

Does your child spend a lot of time in frontof the TV, computer or video game? If yourchild spends too much time in front of thescreen, he or she may not be getting enoughphysical activity. It is recommended that yourchild get 60 minutes of daily physical activity.Here are some tips to reduce your child’sscreen time:• Agree to limit screen time to no more than

two hours a day.• Don’t put a TV in your child’s bedroom.• Turn screen time into active time by doing

simple exercises during commercial breaks.• Parents can encourage their children to

make better food choices, increase physicalactivity and reduce screen time.If you’re not sure how much time your

child is spending in front of a screen, takesome time to count the number of hours your

Reduce yourchild’s screentime at home

Children should get 60 minutes of dailyphysical activity and cut down on screentime to live a healthy lifestyle. ★SCREEN TIME, Page 8

Page 8: April 4, 2010

8 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDEROUR HEALTH

• Bean burrito• Baked potato• Side salad• Frozen yogurt

The suggestions for eating ina restaurant and at the mall alsoapply in the school cafeteria.Add vegetables and fruitwhenever possible. It can beeasy to achieve a healthy diet,even on the run.

Source: www.kidshealth.org

Eating outcontinued from page 7

child spends in front of a screen. You might be surprised. If thescreen time for your child is less than two hours a day, patyourself on the back! If it’s two hours or more, switch to somephysically active programs.Get up and get moving

Children who are physically active have more energy and candevelop better strength, coordination, balance and flexibility than thosewho are not active. A physically active lifestyle helps prevent weightgain and obesity. Fitness provides a feeling of self confidence and con-trol that will help children be happy and healthy.

Just 60 minutes of active play and physical activity every day isrecommended. This goal can be reached in a few minutes of timethroughout the day.

Here are things you can do to reach your daily physical activity goals:

Parents – be a role model to your children by exercising regularly andstaying physically active.

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity

Screen timecontinued from page 7

How to read a food label

Portion size is important in a healthy dietDo you know how big one serving of meat looks like? Here’s a quick and easy chart to help you see what a serving of food looks like.

One serving What it looks like3 ounces of meat, poultry or fish Deck of playing cards, cassette tape or the palm of a woman’s hand1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish Matchbook1 cup of fruit or yogurt Baseball1 medium potato Computer mouse1⁄2 cup of chopped vegetables 3 regular ice cubes1 cup of potatoes, rice or pasta Size of a fist or a tennis ball1 medium orange or apple Baseball1 standard bagel Hockey puck1 cup chopped fresh leafy greens 4 lettuce leaves2 tablespoons peanut butter Golf ball1 ounce cheese A tube of lipstick1 slice of cheese A computer disk1⁄2 cup cooked vegetables 6 asparagus spears, 7-8 baby carrots or carrot sticks, 1 ear of corn or 3 spears of broccoli

Source: National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics of the American Dietetic Association

Eating healthy foods now can help keep your bodyhealthy as you get older. And part of staying healthy isknowing what foods are good for you. You have probablyseen the nutrition label on the back of the foods you eat.There are many things on a food label. To start, just focuson these three things to help you make better food choices.Servings per container

Check this number. If there are two servings per contain-er that means that if you eat the full container, then you areeating twice the contents. (You multiply all the contents bytwo.) If there are three servings per container, then you mul-

tiply all the contents by three. You are actually eating threetimes the fat, carbohydrates and more if you eat the full con-tainer. See below for more information about serving size.Calories

This is the total number of calories per serving. You cancompare food and make decisions based on this number. Ahealthy snack should not be more than 200 calories perserving. Remember, you are eating more calories if you eatmore than one serving. Eating too many calories a day canlead to weight gain.

Vitamin BVitamins are found in the foods we eat. Your body needs

them to work properly, so you can grow and develop like youshould.

Vitamins boost the immune system, support normal growthand development, and help cells and organs do their jobs.Although you get vitamins from the foods you eat every day,some foods have more vitamins than others.Foods rich in vitamin B:• Whole grains, like wheat and oats• Fish and seafood• Beans and peas• Dairy products like milk and yogurt• Eggs

• Poultry and meats• Leafy green vegetables• Citrus fruit, like oranges

B vitamins help your body make protein and energy. There’smore than one kind of B vitamin. There is B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin,folic acid, biotin and pantothenic acid. The B vitamins are impor-tant in metabolic activity. That means that they help make ener-gy and release it when your body needs it.

The group of vitamins is also involved in making blood cells,which carry oxygen throughout your body. Every part of yourbody needs oxygen to work properly, so B vitamins have animportant role in overall health.

• Walk to and from the bus stop.

• Jump rope or play tag at recess.

• Ride a bike after school.

• Walk the dog.

• Take stairs instead of the elevator.

• Play Frisbee or basketball after supper.

• Mow the grass or rake leaves.

• Play soccer in the yard with friends.

• Help vacuum and sweep the house.

• Limit television, video game and computer time.

you move to a new area or change doctors, or when you need toenroll your child in school. Remember to bring your child’s shotrecord with you every time your child has a health care visit.Register your baby with ImmTrac

The Texas Department of State Health Services has a free serv-ice it offers to all children living in Texas. The service is calledImmTrac. ImmTrac is an immunization registry service thatstores your child’s immunization information electronically. Onlyauthorized people like doctors, nurses, and schools are allowed toaccess the records. You can also request a record anytime, atno cost.

Register your child and let ImmTrac help protect your child’shealth. To register, ask for an ImmTrac consent form at yourchild’s next doctor’s visit. Visit www.immtrac.com formore information.

Immunizecontinued from page 7

Page 9: April 4, 2010

APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER 9

Green, who earned both aBachelor of Science and a Masterof Business Administration from theUniversity of Houston, as well as alaw degree from Texas SouthernUniversity’s Thurgood MarshallSchool of Law, is licensed to prac-tice law in the State of Texas, theDistrict of Columbia, the 5thCircuit Court of Appeals and theUnited States Supreme Court. Inaddition, Green is a licensed realestate broker. Green is a foundingpartner of his own law firm and amember of Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity, Inc., 100 Black Men ofAmerica, Inc., and the GovernmentFinance Officers Association.

Green is married to Justice of thePeace Hillary Harmon Green. Thecouple has one son, Christopher.

Within a month of being sworninto office, Green released theresults of an audit by the CityController’s Office Audit Divisionthat identified $3.6 million inpotential savings to the City ofHouston per year. The savingscould be achieved by more efficienttiming of citywide vendor invoicepayments. The audit, originallybegun as a review of disbursementsunder $75,000 within the Parks andRecreation Department (PARD),identified that resolving date-sensi-tive application issues in the City’sEnterprise Resource Planning(ERP) System corresponding toefficient timing of invoice pay-ments, could result in annualizedsavings citywide.

Recently, the Defender had anopportunity to speak with Greenabout his role as City Controller.

Defender: You are the city’s firstAfrican-American City Controller.Do you view that fact as a positiveor negative?

Ronald Green: Oh, I definitelylook at it as a positive. I’m veryproud of the fact that AfricanAmericans are continuing to ascendto leadership positions in the cityand country. And I believe it is evenbetter that I come into the positionwell-qualified. For, I am able tobring to the position of CityController not just my politicalexperience, but my legal and finan-cial expertise as well. It’s definitelya positive.

Defender: Because mostHoustonians don’t know, just what

are the areas of responsibility forthe City Controller?

Green: They are two-fold. Fromthe political perspective, I am thewatchdog for the taxpayers’ money.I am responsible for making suretaxpayer dollars are not wasted, andthat they are spent wisely. On thepractical side, I am a departmentdirector of the city’s finance depart-ment. Not many people realize thatas City Controller, I serve a dualrole. As a department director, I amresponsible for managing over 160employees, and helping to shapetheir careers. From my office we goout and do audits of departments.We have a treasury department forwhich my office is responsible. Ifyou come up to the 10th floor ofCity Hall it looks like Wall Street,with trading, deals and investmentsbeing made. We have an operationsdivision. At present, the City ofHouston has $12 billion in debt and$2 billion in investments. We haveour work cut out for us. Just recent-ly, you may recall, I had to hold uphousing funds because I not certifythe availability of funds. Ouraccount was showing a negativeamount, and I could not showwhere the money requested wouldbe available. It is our job to look atthe books to see if there’s money tospend. City Council can vote onsomething, but if there are no fundsto cover the costs, it can’t move for-ward.

Defender: What was it about thisposition of City Controller thatattracted you the most?

Green: The fact that everythingthat goes on in this city has a dollaramount attached to it. When I wason City Council I gravitated towardthe minutia of finance, the alloca-tion of dollars. Since I was an At-Large council member with no spe-cific district, I was able to focus onspecific areas of service. See, thecity has a finite source of revenueand an infinite amount of requestsfor funds. My job is to verify whatfunds we can and cannot afford toallocate. This is a very criticalresponsibility that I take very seri-ously, and find enjoyment in doingso.

Defender: Which position, then—city councilmember or CityController—has been the most sat-isfying?

Green: They have been bothequally satisfying. The six years Iserved on city council prepared mefor what I am doing now. Then, Ihad a vote. Now, I don’t have avote. Still, I am able to be a part ofthe process. As City Controller,without the authority to vote oneway or another on an issue, I amcalled to be objective and clearlybeholden to the numbers.

Defender: Was your goal as achild to grow up and become amember of city council and thenCity Controller? If not, what were

your childhood goals?Green: I graduated from HISD—

the High School of HealthProfessions. And I often kid that Ihave got to be the biggest failurethe High School of HealthProfessions has ever producedbecause I surely did not become adoctor or go into any other suchhealth profession. But seriously, Inever started out to be a politician. Inever dreamed of being on citycouncil or running for office. Ithought if I did, maybe I would oneday want to be a judge. But believeme, one judge in the family is morethan enough. But my role as a civilservant was a logical outgrowth ofserving the community. I’m justdoing it now in a more institutional-ized fashion.

Defender: Looking back, wasthere a particular person or experi-ence that inspired you, and helpedshape the person you are today?

Green: Definitely. It was my par-ents. They instilled in me and mybrother a work ethic and thirst forknowledge that continues to grow.Though my father is deceased, youcan ask my mother and she will tellyou that I am always looking formy next challenge. Some peoplelook at that as a good thing, whileothers see it as a bad thing.However, I am always looking to bechallenged; to grow. I never likedthe idea of having to rely on some-one else’s research and processing

of information. If I want to learnsomething I’ll go get a book andfigure it out. That’s how I wasraised; to be intellectually curiousand assume responsibility for myongoing growth.

Defender: Since beginning yourstint as Houston’s City Controller,what has been the biggest surpriseand/or challenge?

Green: The fact that the city andthis region have not recovered asfast as I thought we would. I defi-nitely knew what I was getting intowhen I first assumed the office. ButI thought sales tax revenues wouldgo up instead of decline as theyhave. The other thing that I foundboth shocking and refreshing was tosee all of these people in my depart-ment that are top notch profession-als. I mean when I looked at theirresumes, these individuals couldhave been working anywhere butmade a decision to serve the City ofHouston. As a citizen and definitelyas a department director, I’m thank-ful that I have such a wealth ofexpertise in-house.

Defender: What does the futurehold for City Controller RonaldGreen?

Green: I’m a daily bread kind ofperson. Daily I am focused onbeing the best City Controller I canbe, fulfilling my duties to the bestof my ability; but I really do likemunicipal government.

Defender: Speaking of the future,the future of too many youngAfrican- American males is dim dueto ridiculous school drop-out andprison “drop-in” rates. As a young,successful brother, what words ofadvice would you give young broth-ers today who want a viable future?

Green: First, support each other.That’s the one thing I’ve tried to do.As I ascend there are fewer andfewer people who look like me. So,if we don’t support each other,nobody will. Second, I would tellthem that there is no easy way;there is no such thing as fast money.I’m 40 years old. I didn’t just wakeup one day and I was CityController. I went to school, workedhard, sacrificed, invested in myfuture. I’m married, raising a fami-ly. I have been doing those thingson a daily basis that all people dowho want a fulfilling life. But it’sabout taking the time to prepareyourself, and also supporting eachother when you get here.

Ron Greencontinued from page 1

“Many people filed the credit in 2008 and itwas structured more as a loan and you had tax-payers that were upset about that. But for 2009,2010 moving forward, that’s not an amountyou’ll have to pay back. I guess you can consid-er that a stimulus payment,” she said. Do it yourself?

The economic downturn has led to a sharpincrease in do-it-yourself tax returns. Accordingto the IRS, the number of taxpayers who elec-tronically filed self-prepared returns last yearwas up 17 percent from the same period a yearearlier. Also in 2008, H&R Block, the nation’slargest tax-preparation company, reported thatreturns prepared at its retail outlets were down6.2 percent, while returns filed through Block’sdesktop and online software rose nearly 22 per-cent. The company said the shift reflected “pricesensitivity of clients due to current economicconditions.”

Jackson Hewitt, the nation’s second-largesttax-preparation chain, has forecast a 12 to 13percent decline in tax returns prepared in fiscal2009.

TurboTax, the nation’s largest tax softwareprovider, said sales of its products surged 41 per-cent.

Tom Ochsenschlager, vice president, taxationfor the American Institute of Certified PublicAccountants, says tax software programs usual-ly work fine for straightforward and simple taxreturns. But taxpayers who experienced alifestyle change such as marriage or divorceshould consider hiring a professional, he says.Otherwise, “Even if you’re using the mostsophisticated computer programs, you’ll getconfused.”

Robinson advises that even if you do it your-self, consult a tax professional.

“Prior to clicking submit, I’d make sure I con-sult a professional in terms of going over yourtax returns,” she said. “Even if that means seek-ing out some of the free tax clinics. A lot of tax-payers will typically make mistakes, simplearithmetic can lead to mistakes, or they aren’taware of the tax credits. A lot of times when youhave tax preparers who don’t have the experi-ence of filing tax returns, they may not be aware

of the new tax law changes. A lot of this infor-mation is free on line at www.irs.gov.”

Robinson adds that nowadays, consulting atax professional could be a lot more cost effi-cient that you may think.

“A lot of times you can find a tax profession-al that may not be as expensive as you maythink. They can also save you some time. A lotof people find it more convenient and cost effec-tive to go to a tax professional,” she said. The tax man cometh

Robinson says the popular adage that the onlything guaranteed in life is “death and taxes” istrue. So, above all else, don’t try to ignore theIRS.

“I come across clients all the time that were1099 employees or they were in that middleclass tax bracket that they’ve always had topay,” Robinson said. “If you do owe, don’t be

afraid of the IRS. They’re actually there to help.If you owe, there’s some programs you may beable to set up not only for a payment plan, butmaybe even a settlement. They’re much likecreditors. They’d rather have some of yourmoney than none of your money.”

And if April 15th approaches and you’re stillnot ready to file, Robinson says it’s as simple asfiling for an extension.

“If you’re not ready to file by April 15th, Istrongly, strongly encourage you to file anextension. It’s easy to do by filing the 4868form,” Robinson said.

Here are some tips from the Internal Revenuethat can help your tax filing process runsmoother than ever this year.

Keep all of your records. Make sure you holdon to any documents or forms you’ll need whenfiling your taxes: receipts, canceled checks and

other documents that support an item of incomeor a deduction you’re taking on your return.

Try e-file. When you file electronically, thesoftware will handle the math calculations foryou. If you use direct deposit, you will get yourrefund in about half the time it takes when youfile a paper return. E-file is now the way themajority of returns are filed. In fact, last year,two out of three taxpayers used e-file.

Check out Free File. If your income is $57,000or less you may be eligible for free tax prepara-tion software and free electronic filing. The IRSpartners with 20 tax software companies to cre-ate this free service. Free File is for the cost con-scious taxpayer who wants reliable question-and-answer software to help them prepare areturn. Visit IRS.gov to learn more.

Consider other filing options. There are manydifferent options for filing your tax return. Youcan prepare it yourself or go to a tax preparer.You may be eligible for free face-to-face help atan IRS office or volunteer site. Give yourselftime to weigh all the different options and findthe one that best suits your needs.

Consider Direct Deposit. If you elect to haveyour refund directly deposited into your bankaccount, you’ll receive it faster than waiting fora paper check.

Visit IRS.gov. The official IRS Web site is agreat place to find everything you’ll need to fileyour tax return: forms, tips, answers to frequent-ly asked questions and updates on tax lawchanges.

Remember this number: 17 Check outPublication 17, Your Federal Income Tax onIRS.gov. It’s a comprehensive collection ofinformation for taxpayers highlighting every-thing you’ll need to know when filing yourreturn.

Review! Review! Review! Don’t rush. Mistakesare easily made when we rush. Mistakes willslow down the processing of your return. Besure to double-check all the Social SecurityNumbers and math calculations on your returnas these are the most common errors made bytaxpayers.

Don’t panic! If you run into a problem,remember the IRS is here to help. Try IRS.govor call the customer service number at 800-829-1040.

Tax Daycontinued from page 1 Most Overlooked Tax Credits

Earned Income Credit Available to low-income workers.

Child Tax Credit $1,000 for each child, theamount you can claim for each child decreasesonce your adjusted gross income hits $75,000 asa single filer or $110,000 jointly filing.

Saver’s Credit Get credit for up to half you con-tribute to a retirement plan. Restrictions apply.

Education Tax Benefits Hope Credit: 100%credit of first $1,100 and 50% next $1,100 per stu-dent for tuition and fees with a max of $1,650.Restricted to your first two years of college.

• Lifetime Learning Credit: Credit of 20% annual tuition and fees. Max $2,000. Unlimited number of years.

• Tuition and Fees Deduction: Allows you to deduct up to $4,000 for tuition and fees.

• Student Loan Interest Deduction: Deduct up$2,500 per return for interest paid on student loans.

Medical Expenses Deduction available if youspend more than 7.5% of your income on medicalexpenses (you must itemize to claim).

Moving Expenses You can claim this even ifyou don’t itemize so long as your move was 1) jobrelated, 2) would have increased commute bymore than 50 miles, 3) were employed full time atleast 39 weeks during the 12 months after youmoved, 4) your moving expenses weren’t reim-bursed by your employer.

State & Local Taxes If you itemize, you canclaim your state and local sales tax. You will needreceipts if you choose to claim the sales taxdeduction.

Charitable Donations If you itemize you, candeduct these, but keep your receipts for moneydonations, items donated, or mileage while drivingfor charity.

Out of Pocket Job Expenses These aredeductible provided you keep records and are notreimbursed by your employer.

Self-employment Deductions Half your self-employment tax, up to $112,000 of new or usedbusiness equipment purchased this year, yourhome or office furniture if it’s used solely for yourbusiness.

Source: HR Block

■ Implement additional spending reductionsbased on the budget reduction scenarios sub-mitted by the departments. An additional 1%cut would be $ 17.1 million, 2% would be $34.2million, 3% would be $51.4 million, and 5%would be $85.5 million (further departmentalcuts will impact personnel).

■ Draw down the fund balance to the 7.5% preferred reserve.

■ A furlough of civilian employees for two daysper month equals $2 million in General Fundsavings per month (e.g. $ 2 million x 12 months= $24 million). Classified furloughs could saveapproximately $2.3 million per day.

■ Possible consolidation of various departments.

■ Negotiate with employee unions to defer payincreases to FY2012 or beyond saving $30.8million in FY2011.

■ Negotiate with the three pensions to reducecontributions to actuarial limits that will sup-port current benefit levels.

■ Apply more of the debt service reduction toGeneral Fund relief, and/or further reduce debtservice (approximately $13 million).

■ Borrow $20 million from the Rainy Day Fund,which will deplete that fund.

■ Additional sale of land scheduled for FY2012moved to FY2011 (approximately $7.5 million).

CLOSING THE BUDGET GAP

Page 10: April 4, 2010

10 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER

Page 11: April 4, 2010

Gene and Elaine Norman Honoree Ralph Cooper and Freddie Willis, Jr

Len and Bernadette Cannon and Irv White Marlen and Laura Whitley

Katishia Cosley, Mary Benton and Joy Sewing

Honoree Roland Martin and Emelda and Reginald Martin

EMPOWERING JOURNALISTS FORTHE FUTURE…….During the HoustonAssociation of Black Journalist 24th Awardsand Anniversary Dinner, four of the best andbrightest in the media industry were hon-ored. The Emerging Journalist of the YearAward was presented to Richelle Carey,weekday anchor for HLN, part of the CNNWorldwide family, the Sprit Award was pre-sented to Tony Wyllie, Houston Texans VicePresident of Communication, the LifetimeAchievement Award was presented to RalphCooper, KCOH Radio AirPersonality/Sports Director and RolandMartin, host of TV One’s “WashingtonWatch with Roland Martin,” CNN and theTom Joyner Morning Show Contributorreceived the Pinnacle Award. Roland wasintroduced by his former boss DefenderPublisher, Sonceria “Sonny” Messiah-Jiles.Mary Benton, KPRC Local 2 Reporter andHABJ President was all smiles and she triedto meet and greet the hundreds of guest thatattended. Kudos to the dinner chairs, JoySewing, Houston Chronicle Fashion andBeauty Editor, Katishia Cosley, KIAH 39Anchor/Reporter and Author, Sherea Caryfor a job well done. Also, ChiefMeteorologist/KHOU Channel 11 News,Gene Norman and Kim Davis, Host ofBeyond the Headlines/KPRC Local 2, werethis year’s Master and Mistress ofCeremonies. Other media gurus and guestsincluded Bernadette and Len Cannon, IrvWhite, Elaine Norman, Laura and MarlenWhitley, Freddie Willis, Melanie Lawson,Janice Hare, Janice and Levi Benton,Juana Collins, Rochelle and MichaelButler, Melva and Ervin Warner, ToniJohnson, Kamaria Monmouth, CynthiaSmith, Delisha Ford, Isiah Carey, MelindaSpaulding, Jerome Gray, Pastor RudyRasmus, Genora Boykins, Emelda andReginald Martin, Argentina James, Dr.James Ward, Korbin Mays, Tania Colon,Gina Gaston, Denise Bates, Jose Grinanand Frank Trigg. Continued Success!.........AN EVENING OF BRILLIANT JEW-ELS……..Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.Lambda Zeta Chapter hosted their 13thAnnual Evening of Brilliant Jewels honoringseveral pillars of the community by present-ing them with the Lullelia Walker HarrisonDove Award. This award was presented toCindy Barclay, Founder/CEO of QualityDialysis, Debra Blacklock-Sloan, HistoricalResearcher Director for the R.B.H. YatesMuseum, Inc., Rev. Theodore L. Deaver,Founder/Senior Pastor of New Hope BaptistChurch of Missouri City, Harry E. Johnson,Sr., President/CEO of the Washington, DCMartin Luther King, Jr. National MemorialProject Foundation and Roland S. Martin,award-winning and multifaceted journalist.This fabulous evening also included the storyof the Dove Award which is named in honorof Mrs. Lullelia Harrison, the 12thInternational President, for her years of serv-ice, inspiration, guidance and love for theorganization. We salute Chapter PresidentTwylah Jenkins, event chair, Joyce Parker,committee members Kathy Allen, RuthDoucette, Daphne Ford, Margaret Walker,Marlene Corbin and others, for a greatevening. Congratulations!.........A DAY OFDELTA CELEBRATION……The Heritageand Archives of the Houston AlumnaeChapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon celebrat-ing and telling their story of the past 80 yearswith a video presentation and exhibits/dis-plays from its various programs. They madehistory by becoming the first Black Greek-letter organization to establish a chapter inthe Houston area and they continued to havea rich history of giving back to the commu-nity by way of scholarships, tutorial pro-grams, community fairs, voter registrationdrives, economic development seminars andmuch more. Several past presidents attend-ed including, Rosemary McGowan,Thelma Gould, Audrie Lawton, SheilaClark, Zoie Jones and Theresa Allen.Chapter President Alfiee Herron,Councilmember Wanda Adams, EmmaHunter, Tia Simmons, Nora Dewberry,Tonya Smallwood, Wendy Stewart,Carolyn Grant and Jennifer Jermany werealso there and contributed to the success ofthe afternoon. Continued success to all ofyou...... Have a great week and remember towatch CROSSROADS on Channel 13Sunday morning with Melanie Lawson foryour event covered by Ms. Chag. Alsocheck out our website atdefendernetwork.com to view the “Eventof the Week.”…..HAPPY EAST-ER!............From Chag’s Place to your place,Ciao Darling!

APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER 11

Honoree Richelle Careyand Toni Johnson

Marlene Corbin and Ruth Doucette

Honoree Tony Wyllie, Argentina Jamesand Dr. James Ward

Honorees Pastor Theodore Deaverand Debra Blacklock-Sloan

Honorees Cindy Barclay and Roland Martin

Kristan Allen, Kimberly Brown and Gwenetta Arps

Rosemary McGowan, Wanda Adams and Thelma Gould

Sheila Wheatley-Clark, Zoie L. Jonesand Theresa Pratt-Allen

Shatonya Brooks-Marshall, Alfiee Herron and Joycelyn Matthews

Joyce Parker, Honoree Harry Johnson and Twylah Jenkins

Tia Simmons, Nora Dewbury, Tonya Smallwoodand Wendy Stewart

Emma Hunter and Audrie Lawton

Page 12: April 4, 2010

12 APRIL 4 – 10, 2010 | DEFENDER