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Alpharetta, GA-–Cricket Wireless announces the launch of its Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs contest to recognize men and women who serve as one-person enterprises and still make it a priority to help their community.

“Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the heartbeat of most communities,” said Winston Warrior, Director of Marketing and Customer Acquisition, Cricket Wireless. “As a community brand, we’re always looking for ways to support these business owners – including our dealers and sole proprietors, thus, positively impact our customers where they live and work.”

Entry forms are being accepted online now through Oct. 19, 2014, via the Events page of cricketwireless.mediaroom.com/cricketstars. Entrants must provide details on their sole proprietorship business, community involvement and social media presence. All entries will be reviewed and evaluated by Cricket, then narrowed down to three finalists who will be named 1^st-, 2^nd– or 3^rd-place winners by a panel of judges, and receive prizes as follows:

• 1^st Place: $5,000, Free Mobile Device with 1 year of Cricket service
• 2^nd Place: $2,500, Free Mobile Device with six months of Cricket service
• 3^rd Place: $1,000, Free Mobile Device with three months of Cricket service

Finalists will be announced late-November and must participate in a Cricket-sponsored video recording which will be housed on Cricket’s YouTube channel for finalists’ social media engagement via their respective social media channels. Finalists will be recognized during in-store celebrations on Small Business Saturday which takes place on November 29, 2014. A panel of judges will review the finalists’ videos and rate the finalists based on their community involvement/improvement, clarity and creativity in sharing their business story, social media engagement, and expressed passion to be named the grand prize winner. The panel will determine the 1^st-, 2^nd– and 3^rd-place winners who will be announced mid-December. To learn more about Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs or to enter, please visit cricketwireless.mediaroom.com/cricketstars and join the conversation via social media using #CricketNation. The contest is open to residents of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

In addition to Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs, Cricket offers affordable pricing, group and loyalty plans on a reliable, nationwide 4G LTE network. For instance, the monthly savings in the Group Save plan are perfect for solopreneurs in need of separate lines for business and personal use.

About Cricket Wireless

Cricket is bringing consumers more value with a simple, friendly, and reliable nationwide wireless experience with no annual contract.  The power of Cricket is our fast, reliable, nationwide 4G LTE network; easy and affordable unlimited plans with taxes and fees included; annual loyalty rewards; and a great selection of phones customers love. Cricket, Something to Smile About.  Cricket is a subsidiary of AT&T Inc.

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Photo Credit: skidmore.edu

By Rev. Bronica Martindale-Taylor

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Now is the time to VOTE. We need your participation in order to bring our city back into fiscal alignment.  There are groups whom are not residents of San Bernardino spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours putting up signs all over town urging San Bernardino voters to reject Measure Q, a repeal of San Bernardino Charter section 186 which sets public safety pay. Measure R is another measure that needs your YES VOTE. Come and learn why it is vital that you VOTE YES on both measures. We need you to be informed on what your vote means to our city.

Come join us on Saturday, October 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursday, October 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Inghram Community Center located at 2050 N. Mount Vernon Street in San Bernardino (92411). For more information, please call (909) 649-6900.

Navy Ensign Michelle Ehlhardt

By Lt. Ana Maring, Navy Office of Community Outreach

SAN DIEGO – A 2003 Etiwanda High School graduate and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native is serving aboard USS Essex (LHD 2), the largest of all amphibious warfare ships and resembles a small aircraft carrier.

Ensign Michelle R. Ehlhardt is a surface warfare officer aboard the San Diego-based WASP-class amphibious assault ship that is nearly as long as 3 football fields at 844 feet. The ship is 106 feet wide and weighs more than 40,650 tons. Two geared steam turbine engines can push the ship through the water at more than 24 mph.

USS Essex (LHD 2) is fifth ship to bear the name Essex. It is named after a town and county in Massachusetts which is significant because of the tie in with the people of Essex County in 1798 and the building of the first USS Essex.

As a 29 year-old with numerous responsibilities, Ehlhardt said she has been in the Navy for 11 years and is prior enlisted. “I joined the Navy because I wanted to travel and have college paid for,” said Ehlhardt. “My brother was already in college and I wanted to give my dad a break.”

She also said she is proud of the work he is doing as part of the Essex’s 1200-member crew, protecting and defending America on the world’s oceans. “With this one ship we can do multiple missions,” said Ehlhardt. “Our role is to take the Marines where they need to go. We have multiple capabilities, including Navy and Marine aircraft. We also have our amphibious capabilities.”

Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard USS Essex. Approximately 73 officers, 1109 enlisted men and women make up the ship’s company, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly — this includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the engines. Another 1800 or so form the Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Essex is capable of transporting the MEU and landing them in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters.

“USS Essex is truly a fine warship and the crew that mans her is second to none,” said Capt. Peter Mantz, the ship’s commanding officer. “The sailors and Marines of Essex have been working diligently to prepare this warship, and I feel an unparalleled sense of pride working alongside our nation’s finest sailors and Marines.”

The principle mission of Essex is to conduct prompt, sustained operations at sea, primarily as the centerpiece and flagship of the Amphibious Ready Group. Essex provide the means to transport, deploy, command and support all elements of a Marine landing force of over 1,800 troops during an assault by air and amphibious craft.

Designed to be versatile, Essex has the option of simultaneously using helicopters, Harrier jets, and Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC), as well as conventional landing craft and assault vehicles in various combinations. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to also support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s largest amphibious assault ships, Ehlhardt and other Essex sailors are proud to part of a warfighting team that readily defends America at all times.

“I love the Navy,” said Ehlhardt. “I eventually want to command my own ship, that’s my mission in life. The Navy has been the best decision for me. I’ve traveled to 23 countries on six continents.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Saturday, October 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation (YWE) in conjunction with the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 1^st Community Wellness Event and Lupus Awareness Walk at the Community Medical Center Plaza Parking Lot located at 1800 Medical Center Drive in San Bernardino.

This is a FREE community. The theme for the day is “A Healthy Me” with special guest speaker Diana Wehbe, 99.1 KGGI Radio Personality and author. Other activities of the day include music, vendors, food, raffles, and community fun. There are also a limited number of Omnitrans Day Passes available. Free registration/sign-ups for teams can be completed by emailing ywefoundation@gmail.com.

Jessie Zuniga making a handprint on Dr. Kimberley Payne. Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels’ annual September campaign is entitled “Every Handprint Tells a Story.”

LOMA LINDA, CA- Kimberley Payne, M.D., associate professor of Loma Linda University School of Medicine and director of translational research at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, accepted a $250,000 pediatric cancer research grant from Hyundai Motor America’s “Hope on Wheels” on September 22.

The grant will support Dr. Payne’s work as a “Scholar of Hope,” focusing on leukemia in children. She said her work on behalf of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is not just important professionally to her, but very personally.  “My brother, Jacob, died at the age of 3 of this disease,” she told a group assembled to see the check presentation. “It’s too late for Jacob, but I hope our work will find new treatments and a cure for this disease.”

Irwin Raphael, general manager of the Western Region of Hyundai Motor America, spoke of the Hope on Wheels campaign, founded by Hyundai 16 years ago. “In that time, Hyundai Motor America has donated $87 million toward pediatric cancer research, all over the nation,” he said.  He added that about 15,000 children are diagnosed with pediatric cancer every year in the United States. “We will win” against this disease, he said. This year’s contributions are being given during the month of September, which is devoted to children’s cancer awareness.

Christopher Alcala, a former patient at Children’s Hospital with leukemia, spoke movingly of his diagnosis as a child, and having to tell his mother himself.  He was referred to Loma Linda, and talked of how the Children’s Hospital became a second home, giving him hope and confidence in his future as he saw his way back to health.  He added that he is ready to begin college, and looking forward to a full life. Another former patient, Kimmie Metcalf, said she and her family were so grateful for the good care she received at Children’s Hospital.

For more information, visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org/September.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Omnitrans is offering two-for-one fares once a week on its new sbX bus rapid transit line during October and November with a “Friends Ride Free Fridays” promotion, beginning October 3.

“We know that current sbX customers are our best promoters, so we invite them to bring along a friend for free on Fridays this fall,” explained Omnitrans spokesperson Wendy Williams. “For new riders, it’s always reassuring to travel with an experienced rider.”

sbX service launched on April 28, 2014 with a free week that attracted over 3,000 riders per day on average. Since fare collection began on May 5th, average daily ridership has grown steadily from about 1,300 to over 2,300, an increase of 77 percent. “Our goal is to get back to the ridership activity experienced in that first free week by the time we celebrate our 1-year anniversary,” said Williams.

The one-way fare on sbX, and all Omnitrans bus routes, is $1.75; a 1-day pass is $5. 7-day and 31-day passes offer savings for frequent riders. Persons with disabilities, seniors age 62 and up, and youth age 18 and under, qualify for discounts. Through Omnitrans’ “GoSmart” program, local college students can ride free with their student ID if enrolled at California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino Valley College, Crafton Hills College, Chaffey College or the Art Institute of California—Inland Empire.

The sbX green line runs every 10 to 15 minutes on weekdays in San Bernardino and Loma Linda on a 16-mile route, including over 5 miles of dedicated bus lanes. Riders can enjoy free Wi-Fi and 110-outlet power outlets on board. Stations feature real-time arrival signs, ticket vending machines, emergency telephones, and public art. Traffic signal prioritization technology helps vehicles get ahead of other traffic. To enhance security, a security service patrols the corridor and video cameras at stations are monitored 24/7.

Complete sbX route and schedule information is available here, or by calling  the customer information center at (800) 966-6428.

Friday, September 26 was opening night for the live production of The Trip to Bountiful starring 90-year-old Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Williams and Blair Underwood

VICTORVILLE, CA- “The Trip to Bountiful,” starring world renowned actress Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Williams and Blair Underwood, made its debut on Friday, September 26 in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theater during an opening performance. The Broadway play will be playing until Sunday, November 1.

For those that would love to see it but are unable to make it to Los Angeles due to transportation issues, you are in luck because the High Desert Inland Valley News will be hosting a round trip bus ride to see the production. The bus departs on Friday, October 10 at 4: 30 p.m. Tickets, which include play and transportation, is only $65. The pick-up location will be at Park and Ride located at Bear Valley Road off of the 15 freeway.

Please email hdivnews@msn.com to purchase tickets. Deadline for combination is Wednesday, October 1.

Photo credit: www.mdc.edu

Loma Linda, CA. – Sept. 30, 2014 – Minority high school and college students who take part in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Pipeline Program at Loma Linda University Health report gains in research self-efficacy and an increased intent to take up science careers, according to a new study. The study was published on the September issue of the journal PLOS ONE (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108497). The study is also available on with this link.

Authors on the study are Lorena Salto, M.P.H., research assistant, Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, Loma Linda University, School of Medicine; Matt Riggs, Ph.D., professor, Department of Psychology, California State University, San Bernardino; Daisy D. Deleon, professor, Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine; Carlos A. Casiano, professor, Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine; and Marino De Leon, Ph.D., professor and director, Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine.

Students who took part in the program express an increased willingness to incorporate research into their future careers and report more confidence in their research skills and in their ability to do science, the study said.

“We’re very excited about the findings of the study because it shows that there are concrete steps we can take to support the aspirations of minority students to succeed in these fields where they are not well represented,” said Marino De Leon, Ph.D., senior author on the study. The study highlights that exposing students to well structured summer research experiences as early as in high school can be highly effective to increase their research self-efficacy which strengthened their intent to pursue a career in science,” added Dr. De Leon.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Loma Linda University Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine and published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, suggests that early participation in such a program could help boost the ranks of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields. The study specifically reports data collected since 1997 from the high school Apprenticeship Bridge To College (ABC) and the college Undergraduate Training Programs (UTP). The study uses evidenced based intervention and reports that 67 percent of high school student participants in the ABC program, and 90 percent of those participating in the UTP are graduating with a college degree in a STEM discipline. Further 55 percent of ABC and 78 percent of UTP students are matriculating in graduate school. “These outcomes are impressive and further assessments are necessary to fully understand these data,” added Dr. Daisy De Leon.

Research internships in the Loma Linda University Summer Health Disparities Research Program are offered to promising students attending high school in the San Bernardino and Riverside counties of Southern California as well as college students attending universities nationwide in order to encourage the participants to consider careers in STEM disciplines. “The program pairs students with scientists to participate in a hands-on research project and daily career development activities. This part of the program clearly has an important effect on the students,” noted Dr. Carlos A. Casiano.

According to the study, as of 2010, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders together made up 31.1 percent of the total U.S. population, but earned only 13.1 percent of all STEM research doctorates that year.

The study was supported in part by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (grant number 5P20006988). The Loma Linda University Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine has been designated a Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities by the NIH.

About Loma Linda University Health (LLUH)

Loma Linda University Health includes Loma Linda University’s eight professional schools, the Loma Linda University Medical Center’s six hospitals and more than 900 faculty physicians located in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Established in 1905, LLUH is a global leader in education, research and clinical care. It offers over 100 academic programs and provides quality health care to 40,000 inpatients and 1.5 million outpatients each year. A Seventh-day Adventist organization, LLUH is a faith-based health system with a mission “to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” Additional information about Loma Linda University Health is available online at www.lluhealth.org.

LOS ANGELES, CA- The National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment, Inc. (NABFEME), an interactive women’s networking and empowerment association, will launch a series of professional networking events in the Greater Los Angeles area.

The inaugural premier networking event, The NABFEME Executive Suite will be held at the Wilshire Beverly Center Thursday, October 2 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 9465 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 300 in Beverly Hills. The mixer themed event expects to attract a number of music and entertainment industry elite. The entertainment for the evening will include Verses and Flow poets Tanya Ingram, Treesje “Treh-Zhay” Powers and Jasmine Williams.

Recognized as the nation’s most respected professional organization for women of color in entertainment, the women of NABFEME share a common desire to learn, educate and collaborate to deliver meaningful and powerful results.  The organization makes a difference through five (5) areas of service – education, mentorship, networking, sisterhood and faith.

“Networking is a critical part of building meaningful relationships in entertainment, as well as in our personal lives,” said Johnnie Walker, founder and CEO of NABFEME. “Membership in NABFEME offers opportunities for networking with some of the most successful leaders in the sports, fashion, music and entertainment industry.”

Sponsored by Healthy Fit Cuisine, Moreno BHLV and Lynn Allen Jeter & Associates, attendees will enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. There is no admission.  However, all attendees are requested to RSVP to nabfemelosangeles@gmail.com. Two-hour free parking will be available at 240 Beverly Drive. For more information about NABFEME or to become a member, please visit www.nabfememember.org.

(center left) Community organizer and Executive Director of Parents of Watts, Sweet Alice Harris, and (center right) CEO of WWAM Inc./I.S.A.H., Dr. Deborah Winn.

By Dr. Deborah Winn

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Thursday, September 18, Willing Winn Associates and Mission (WWAM) Inc., launched its program “It Starts At Home” (I.S.A.H.). The launch event took place at Juanita Jones Blakely Elementary School, where there is a resource center for basic living needs and assistance for needy families and children.

I.S.A.H. was established in the memory of Dorothy J. Fielder. Fielder was not only the mother of CEO of WWAM, Dr. Deborah Winn, but a missionary, evangelist, and assistant pastor. Winn states that if it had not been for the love, protection, nutriment, and guidance from her parents, she would not be here spreading it abroad.

Stormy Jones doing a praise dance to “Take Me to the King.”

The event kicked off with a welcome by Ramon Velasco, principal of Jones Elementary. The emcee for the afternoon was Wanda Parker. Sweet Alice Harris, community organizer and founder and executive director of Parents of Watts, made a special appearance. She spoke on working together with WWAM to get the needs met for the youth in the community, Blacks and Browns (African Americans and Mexicans) coming together as one in the city, and on the importance of political leaders.  She also posed the question of the fact on why weren’t there any political leaders present at the event.

Another speaker was the assistant police chief of San Bernardino, Eric McBride. He mentioned how he believes in the notion of “It Starts At Home” and how it should be spread abroad throughout the city because the children and parents desperately need it.

In addition, residents gave their testimonies about “I.S.A.H.” and what it meant to them, as well as what WWAM has done in their lives. They included Mrs. Rasheda Ballard, Ms. Andrea Vejar, Mr. Robert Russell, Juanita Webster (San Bernardino Parks and Recreation), and Ms. Blanca Aguirre.

WWAM  would love to give a special thanks to Stormy Jones who did a praise dance to “Take Me to the King”, and Bishop Larry Jones who did all the artwork for I.S.A.H.

Stay tuned for Juneteenth 2015 at Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino and for another appearance by Sweet Alice Harris.