Local

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – On Friday, August 26th, 2016, United Nations of Consciousness hosted Artivism: Activism Through the Arts for Safer Communities at their new facility, Anne Shirrells Park Community Center. This event was part of the #SchoolsNotPrisons campaign to bring awareness to school discipline policies and to advocate for prioritizing prevention over punishment for safe and healthy communities for our youth. 

They were honored to have shared the night with over 250 guests including community members, families, youth, community leaders and partnering organizations such as COPE, BLU Education Foundation, Time for Change Foundation and YAP. The night began with a gallery viewing, followed by powerful performances from local youth artists of the Inland Empire, who set the stage ablaze with poetry, music and dance. The room was filled with much diversity, and various forms of artistic expressions.

UNC would like to thank each and every person for coming out to support their event and contributing to make it a success.

“You all left a positive impact on our community through your contributions of partnership, performance, art and/or volunteering,” LaNae Norwood, President and Founder of UNC, said. “Together, we have spread the message of the importance of funding education, youth, intervention and prevention programs to help create safe and healthy communities for all.”

The work does not stop here! Please join them by continuing to support #SchoolsNotPrisons ensuring that we end the “School to Prison Pipeline” and to give our youth opportunities for a brighter future. For more information, please visit www.unitednationsofconsciousness.com.

In partnership with Metro, this year marks Metrolink’s 24^th year of providing Southern California residents with a special stop at the Los Angeles County Fair. Starting Sept. 3, San Bernardino Line weekend trains will stop at the Pomona Fairplex platform except for trains 351, 352 and 353.  A free shuttle service is offered to the yellow gate entrance. The Fairplex Station is located just west of the Pomona Station on the San Bernardino Line.

Travel with ease with your family and friends by skipping traffic while avoiding the hassle and cost of parking. Riders can purchase Metrolink’s $10 Weekend Day Pass and take the train to the fair on Saturday or Sunday ONLY. The L.A. County Fair is offering Metrolink riders a special online price of only $12 for a single day admission ticket. Those interested in purchasing these tickets in advance should visit www.lacf.com.

Metrolink is also adding a train to provide later service from the fair back to Los Angeles. The train, 391, will depart the Fairplex stop at 8:30 p.m. and make all stops into Los Angeles Union Station.

As a result of the modified schedule to support the L.A. County Fair, Metrolink trains may operate late into other stops along the San Bernardino Line on weekends in September.

For real-time service updates or to get more information please visitwww.metrolinktrains.com or follow @Metrolink on Twitter.

By Lou Coleman

Well boo, boo, that’s what happens when you abandon your first love [Jesus].  Scripture says this: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, but ye have set at naught all my counsel…I will show you [my] back, and not [my] face…” I will even laugh at your calamity. I will mock you when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you, then you will call on Me but I will not answer. You will seek Me diligently but you shall not find Me. Because you hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. You would not accept My counsel, you spurned all My reproof. So you shall eat of the fruit of your own way and be satiated with your own devices, seeing that you no longer desired My company” [Proverbs 1:24-31].

I tell you there is nothing worse can be said of a child of God but that “the presence of the Lord departed.” In His place comes a spirit of hopelessness and emptiness, [1 Samuel 22:8]. To the sons of Israel, God said in [Judges 10], “You have forsaken me and served other gods, therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen, let them deliver you in the time of your distress.” I’m done with you! For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? I tell you drifting away from God is infinitely dangerous.

Listen; there is what you could call consequential wrath. Consequential wrath is the sowing and reaping wrath; you live a certain kind of life and you set in motion certain forces that will produce judgment. But then there is another kind of wrath and that is the wrath of abandonment. It is that wrath exhibited by God when He turns His back on a society [Romans 1:24 to 32]. In [Hosea 4:17] we are reminded that there comes a time when God abandons men. God comes to a point where God will say enough is enough and He will allow us to go our own way, to the consequences of our own sinful choices. Of the Pharisees Jesus said, “Let them alone, they are blind leaders of the blind,” [Matthew 15:14]. The most terrifying words “Let them alone.” It’s a frightening thing to think about that. Frightening thing to think that you might be abandoned by God, that the opportunity for salvation is past, that the day of grace is over.

You may be wondering …is there any hope? Well Jesus said in [Psalms, 81:16], “O that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways. I would turn from abandoning them, from giving them over to their own sinful choices to defending them and protecting them and punishing their enemies and I would feed them with the finest of the wheat and with honey from the rock I would satisfy them.” What are you waiting for…? Take the next exit and go back to your first love [Jesus]!

By Debbie Forté 

One main difference between a Will and a Trust is that a will goes into effect only after you die, while a trust takes effect as soon as you create it.

Another difference between a Will and a Trust is that a Will must pass through probate. That means a court oversees the administration of the will and ensures the will is valid and the property gets distributed the way the deceased wanted.

By contrast, a trust can be used to begin distributing property before death, at death or afterwards.

What Is a Will?

A will is a written document—signed and witnessed—that appoints a legal representative or executor to carry out your wishes; and directs how your property (estate) will be distributed at the time of your death to your named beneficiaries.  It is revocable and can be amended at any time during your lifetime. It also allows you to appoint a guardian for your minor children.

A Will covers any property that is only in your name when you die. It does not cover property held in joint tenancy or in a trust.

What Is a Living Trust?

A living trust provides lifetime and after-death property management. If you are serving as your own trustee, the trust instrument will provide for a successor upon your death or incapacity. Court intervention is not required. Livings trusts also are used to manage property. If a person is disabled by accident or illness, the successor trustee can manage the trust property. As a result, the expense, publicity, and inconvenience of court-supervised distribution of your estate can be avoided.

A trust, on the other hand, covers only property that has been transferred to the Trust. In order for property to be included in a trust, it must be put in the name of the trust. Listed in the trust and transferred by Quitclaim Deed with the county recorder’s office.

A trust passes outside of probate, so a court does not need to oversee the process, which can save time and money. Unlike a will, which becomes part of the public record, a trust can remain private.

Wills and trusts each have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, a will allows you to name a guardian for children and to specify funeral arrangements, while a trust does not. On the other hand, a trust can be used to plan for disability or to provide savings on taxes. Your elder law attorney can tell you how best to use a will and a trust in your estate plan.

Who Needs A Trust And Who Needs A Will?

A trust is always recommended when you are over the age of 55, with real property in your name and assets worth transferring to your loved ones without probate.  A trust is always backed up by a “Pour Over Will.”  Which means that assets and property you obtain after the trust is created, and you failed to fund them into your trust, will automatically be “poured” over into your trust when you die.

A Will can be sufficient if you are a renter, and own no real property, with only moderate tangle items and assets.

What Is A Health Care Directive?

A Health Care Directive (also called a living will) is a document that express your wishes to medical personnel and your loved ones what treatments you will allow in the event of total incapacity, coma or life threatening illnesses.  In example, if you become brain dead with no chance of recovery you can elect to not be put on life support or have life support removed.  You can elect which surgeries, medications and treatment plans you support or wish to decline in the event these decisions have to be made.

It allows you to name an agent(s) to also be able to make medical decisions for you as well in the event you are unable to.

What Is A Durable Power Of Attorney?

A power of attorney is a legal document that gives someone you choose the power to act in your place to handle your finances in case you ever become mentally or physically incapacitated. A durable power of attorney simply means that the document stays in effect if you become incapacitated and unable to handle matters on your own.

With a valid power of attorney, the trusted person you name will be legally permitted to take care of important matters for you — for example, paying your bills, your banking needs, managing your investments, or directing your medical care — if you are unable to do so yourself. Your agent can handle mundane tasks such as sorting and opening your mail, depositing your Social Security checks, as well as more complex jobs like watching over your retirement accounts and other investments, or filing your tax returns. Your agent doesn’t have to be a financial expert; just someone you trust completely who has a good dose of common sense.

What Is A Hippa Authorization And Who Needs One?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is a Federal law that required the establishment of national standards to protect the privacy of patients’ health care information. The Privacy Rule, which took effect on April 14, 2003, regulates the use and disclosure of “Protected Health Information.”

This authorization allows your doctor or hospital to disclose protected health information to a third party specified by you (your agent–spouse or family member) to obtain necessary information in order to make medical decisions for you in the event of you being incapacitated and unable to make decisions for yourself. 

What Is Probate?

Probate is the legal^] process whereby a will is “proved” in a court and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased. 

A probate also officially appoints the executor (or personal representative), generally named in the will, as having legal power to dispose of the testator’s assets in the manner specified in the testator’s will. However, through the probate process, a will may be contested.

The probate process includes:

• proving in court that a deceased person’s will is valid (usually a routine matter)
• identifying and inventorying the deceased person’s property
• having the property appraised paying debts and taxes

What Is A Transfer On Death Deed (Tod) And Who Can Use It?

The new Transfer on Death Deed (or Beneficiary Deed) is an easy and inexpensive way to bypass probate court when you leave real estate without a Trust or a Will.  It’s like a regular deed used to transfer real estate to your beneficiaries, with a crucial difference: It doesn’t take effect until your death.

When you die, your real property is automatically transferred to your beneficiaries.  All states do not allow this but California is one that does.

What Is An Estate; And What Happens To It If I Don’t Have A Will Or Trust?

An “Estate” is simply the legal term used to describe all of your assets and tangible items you own.  This includes:

• Your home and any real property you own
• Furniture and furnishings
• Clothing, jewelry and personal items
• Car, Boat, Motorcycle
• Bank and savings accounts
• Retirement and pension funds
• Stock, Bonds and IRA’s
• Interest in a business

Can I Leave Real Property To Minor Children?

The short answer; YES

Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts commonly leave real property and other large assets to minor children.  When probate is opened the court will assign a custodian to manage the minor’s inheritance.

A custodial account is established for a minor child under the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA). These are usually established through a bank and a custodian is named to manage the funds. But if the amount is significant (say, $10,000 or more), court approval may be required. In any event, the child will still receive the full amount at legal age.

A better option is to set up a children’s trust in your will and name someone to manage the inheritance instead of the court. You can also decide when the children will inherit. But the trust cannot be funded until the will has been probated, and that can take precious time and could reduce the assets. If you become incapacitated, this trust does not go into effect… because a will cannot go into effect until after you die.

Another option is a revocable living trust, the preferred option for many parents and grandparents. The person(s) you select, not the court, will be able to manage the inheritance for your minor children or grandchildren until they reach the age(s) you want them to inherit—even if you become incapacitated. Each child’s needs and circumstances can be accommodated, just as you would do. And assets that remain in the trust are protected from the courts, irresponsible spending and creditors (even divorce proceedings).

Can I Name A Guardian For My Minor Children In My Will And/Or Trust?

You can name a guardian for your minor children in your Will.

What Happens To Credit Card Debt When You Die?

Essentially there are two main factors that will determine who is responsible for your credit card debt after you die: whose name or names are on the account and where you live.

Whose name is on the account?

If the card is only in your name, your estate is responsible for the debt. As the estate goes through probate, the executor or administrator of the estate will make a determination of the assets and debts of the estate and pay off debts in the order that state law requires. If assets remain after that, they will be distributed to heirs according to your will or, if you don’t have a will, state law.

Remember that not all assets go through probate, however; things like insurance proceeds, IRAs, and 401(k)s usually go to beneficiaries without being counted as assets in the estate; accordingly, beneficiaries receive those regardless of debts, and an executor or administrator of an estate can’t use them to pay off credit card debt.

If you share your credit card account with someone else, i.e., someone else also signed the application, that person could be held responsible for the debt; if there is another person listed on the account but only as an authorized user, they will not be responsible for the debt. An authorized user is generally someone who can use the card but didn’t sign the application and doesn’t pay the bills.

What happens if the estate’s assets don’t cover the debt?

If your estate is solely responsible for the debt and there isn’t enough money in your estate to cover it, the debt ends there. The credit card company has to write it off, and neither your heirs nor anyone else can be held responsible for it.

What Is The Difference In “Joint Tenancy”,  “Tenancy In Common” And “Right Of Survivorship”?

When two or more people own property like a home, either as joint tenants or tenants in common, each individual owns a share (or interest) of the entire property. This means that specific areas of the property are not owned by any one individual, but rather shared as a whole. While joint tenants with survivorship are similar to tenants in common in many ways, particularly the right of possession with respect to the property, there are some important differences with respect to what happens when a co-owner dies.

Ownership Interest

While none of the owners may claim to own a specific part of the property, tenants in common may have different ownership interests. For instance, Tenant A and Tenant B may each own 25 percent of the home, while Tenant C owns 50 percent of the property as a whole. Tenants in common also may be created at different times; so an individual may obtain an interest in the property years after the other individuals have entered into a tenancy in common ownership.

What is a joint tenancy?

If they opt for joint tenancy, the deed to the property will then name the two owners as joint tenants. Then if one person dies, the other person will automatically become the full owner of the property.

A joint tenancy is broken if one of the tenants sells his or her interest to another person, thus changing the ownership arrangement to a tenancy in common for all parties. However, a tenancy in common may end if one or more co-tenant buys out the others; if the property is sold and the proceeds distributed equally among the owners; or if a partition action is filed, which allows an heir inheriting the property to sell his or her stake.

What is joint tenancy in common?

There is no right of survivorship in a tenancy in common. A tenant in common may deal with their interest or share in the property as they wish without permission of the other owner. Interests in property held under a joint tenancy must be held in equal shares.

What is the meaning of tenants in common?

Tenants In Common (TIC) are co-owners of an undivided interest in real property. Tenants in common each own a separate and undivided interest in the same real property and each has an equal right to the possession and use of the property.

But tenants in common have no rights of survivorship. Unless the deceased individual’s will  specifies that his or her interest in the property is to be divided among the surviving owners, a deceased tenant in common’s interest belongs to his or her estate.

Right of Survivorship

One of the main differences between the two types of shared ownership is what happens to the property when one of the owners dies. When a property is owned by joint tenants with survivorship, the interest of a deceased owner automatically gets transferred to the remaining surviving owners. For example, if four joint tenants own a house and one of them dies, each of the three remaining joint tenants ends up with a one-third share of the property. This is called the right of survivorship.

Why It’s Important To Talk To Your Family About Your Wishes?

When it comes to the issues of estate planning it’s always good to educate yourself and be informed on what is best for your family.  But one of the best tools you can do to make sure things go smoothly when you die is to talk to your family now. 

Engage in conversations with your loved ones to express your wishes, concerns and plans.  Hearing from you audibly speaks volumes over a document they read after you die.  It aids in eliminating confusion, resentment and misunderstanding.  When we leave our family behind they are in a grieving state of mind in which emotions are running high and this does not always add up to making important decisions.  The more they remember what you spoke when you were alive will always keep family drama down.

 On September 6th, Omnitrans will begin offering direct bus service to Ontario International Airport (ONT), via Route 80 making stops at both passenger terminals. Due to customer demand, the transit agency also will increase hours of service on its Route 290 Freeway Express.

Route 80 will be realigned from its current path to continue south on Vineyard to Airport Drive then head east to the airport, instead of traveling on Holt to the Ontario Civic Center Transfer Center. Holt Blvd. between Vineyard and Euclid will continue to be served by Omnitrans Route 61.

“We are pleased to partner with the airport to provide a more convenient transit connection for air travelers,” said agency spokesperson Wendy Williams. “For the future, we are pursuing development of a high-frequency circulator route that would serve the airport, nearby hotels, shopping centers and the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink station.”

Omnitrans is also planning an sbX bus rapid transit line for the cities of Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Montclair and Pomona that would include a stop at ONT passenger terminals.

Route 290, a freeway express route launched a year ago, will add early morning and mid-day trips in response to customer requests. The route will begin running at 4:30 am, an hour earlier, and operate throughout the midday, instead of just at morning and afternoon peak times. Route 290 travels on the I-10 and I-215 freeways with stops at Montclair Transit Center, Ontario Mills, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and the San Bernardino Transit Center.

Another transit agency will be arriving at the San Bernardino Transit Center next month. On September 14, the city of Beaumont’s Pass Transit bus route 120 will begin service to the regional hub, joining Omnitrans, Mountain Transit and Victor Valley Transit Authority. More information at: Pass Transit

Personalized routing assistance available at 800-9-OMNIBUS (800-966-6428) or online at www.omnitrans.org.

LOS ANGELES, CA- In the height of the #BlackLivesMatter and #BuyBlack movements, it is becoming more pivotal than ever to support Black owned businesses. On Saturday, September 3 at The Reef in Downtown Los Angeles, LaTanya Alexander, founder of Afrowear, will be presenting the First Annual End of Summer Fashion Show. It will be a day filled with plenty of entertainment, food, and fashion as some of the latest designers from the L.A. area showcase their lines.

“I am extremely excited for the fashion show, as well as all the activities we have planned for the day,” Alexander states. “Growing up in Watts with a burning passion for fashion and no real outlet, this event is very near and dear to my heart.”

She continues, “I want to create a space for designers, performers and small businesses to come together, support one another and enjoy what I have been working so hard to plan. I am taking a huge risk and have devoted much of my personal funds so I am really counting on my community to support me and help the Black dollar circulate in the Black community. I cannot wait until September 3rd!”

Some of the designers that you can catch on the stage include Afrowear, Styled by Jay Taylor, CT Montgomery of Pearl Girl, and Janell of Power of Pretty. Sponsors include Poise Cosmetics, Stephanie Danine Hair, Universal Beauty Products, and Jay Taylor.

The festivities are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. and will go into the early evening of 7 p.m. This is family friendly event that will also feature food vendors, retail vendors, musical performances, and much more. Think of it as an End of the Summer Block Party infused with fashion.

The Reef is located at 1933 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90007. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased via Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com/e/afrowear-presents-end-of-the-summer-fashion-showexpo-tickets-19992308533

LOMA LINDA, CA- Officers from Colton Police Department assisted D.A.R.E. with a distribution of toys to young patients to the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital’s Hematology/Oncology Outpatient Clinic on Friday, August 26.  

By Lue Dowdy

Clowning on Earth is WHAT IT DO Folks! I always say that laughter is good for the soul. With that being said catch us at the National Orange Show Sports Center in San Bernardino conducting interviews.

LUE Productions is thrilled to be a part of the promotion team for this hilarious comedy show coming to the Inland Empire on October 1st starring the very funny Comedian Luenell featuring comedians Paul Smokey Deese and Sherman Arae. The show will be hosted by actor Brandon Willy. 

We’ll be giving away free tickets on our radio show Listening with LUE on KCAA 1050 AM every Sunday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are $25 and $35 for VIP. You can get 2 VIP tickets for $50.

Until next time keep them L’z up high!

By Ellen Turner

Isaiah Cooper, the 16-year-old World Record breaking pilot from Compton, CA will visit Fontana at the Fontana Park/ Jessie Turner Center on Saturday, September 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City of Fontana and the Concerned Citizens   for the Development of North Fontana will hold their 1st ‘Unity in Community Day’ and The “Chillin’ and Grillin” Bar-BQ Cook-off.

Isaiah Cooper and Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum’s (TAM), Executive       Director Robin Petgrave, will attend this event and speak about the record     breaking flight around the continental United States. Isaiah is the youngest African American to ever make this flight. It was an Epic journey and he had to overcome a serious challenge and became a real-life hero.   He is now   preparing to break the Guinness World Record as the first African American to fly solo around the world when he turns eighteen.

Robin Petgrave is the founder and Executive Director of Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (TAM) and has helped Cooper through this process. His program helps inner city youth expand their vision and dreams. Despite running a busy flight school and tour company, he made time to bring kids from around South Los Angeles to his hangar at Torrance Airport to teach them about flying.

Recognizing the positive effects of learning aviation on kids considered at-risk, Robin felt he could have more of an impact. So in 1998, he established Torrance Aeronautical Museum and made it his personal mission to engage at-risk youth in aviation as an alternative to the negative influences in their          environment. TAM is now operated out of the Compton Airport.

Robin first started by reaching out directly to students at their schools. Instead of just guest speaking at school functions, he did something unheard of at the time: landing his Robinson R44 helicopter directly on school grounds. He    would speak to students about the importance of their education in becoming    successful in life and achieving their dreams.

The Concerned Citizens for the Development of North Fontana invited these   pilots to the Unity in Community event because of the positive impact that it  can bring to young people in Fontana.  Isaiah will have an opportunity to     speak to the people in attendance and share his 8,000 miles and fourteen day journey around the continental United States.

There will be lots of activity at the Chillin’ and Grillin’ BarBQ Cook-off. Several community organizations will compete to see who cooks the best BarBQ Ribs and Chicken. There will also be live entertainment and fun for the kids. The   event will be held at Jessie Turner Center and tasting starts at 10am. Ticket are $10 and are available by calling (909) 333-9950.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – This week’s “Empire Talks Back” (ETB) radio show features Wallace’s interview of Dr. Denise Fleming, candidate for Moreno Valley Mayor, and a conversation with Debbie Forte, a Paralegal, who explains the importance and difference between a Trust and a Will (read her column inside).

ETB is broadcast and video recorded each Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on KCAA-1050 AM radio. The program streams live video via www.kcaaradio.com  and can be heard on the phone by dialing (832) 999-1050.

See the recording of Sunday’s show on the web at www.ustream.tv/recorded/90868983.