WSSN Stories

Maurice Smith

CHICAGO, IL- Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) today named Maurice Smith as President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). Smith succeeds Karen Atwood, who was promoted to a new position over service and technology for HCSC’s multi-state operations.  He will report directly to Colleen Reitan, Executive Vice President and President of Plan Operations, HCSC.

“Maurice brings to this role a broad perspective and deep understanding of our business and operations rooted in more than 20 years of experience across corporate finance, treasury, business development and subsidiary management,” said Reitan.  “His track record of leading multi-stakeholder teams, along with his strong connection to the Illinois business and civic community will help position BCBSIL for continued success in this fast-changing health care environment.”

Smith previously led HCSC’s treasury department and corporate development initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions and the formation of strategic partnerships.  He focused on capital deployment initiatives in support of the company’s overall strategy, including the acquisition of two health plans in other HCSC states.   He also oversaw HCSC’s subsidiaries, and served as the chairman of the board of directors of Dearborn National Life Insurance Company, HCSC’s largest subsidiary.

“Expanding access to affordable health care coverage is an imperative,” said Smith.  “I look forward to working with health care providers, employers, and communities in our state to make a difference for our members.”

Smith is the Chair-elect for the Chicago Sinfonietta and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

By Sonya Muhammad

777 Community Warehouse, a 501(c) (3) Non-profit Public Benefit Organization is located at 777 South Allen Avenue, Suite A., in San Bernardino, California. The CEO/Director of Operations, Mr. William C. Walker, Sr., one cold winter day in 2012, stood outside an empty and completely bare 5300 sq. ft. warehouse and had a vision of this warehouse being developed into a community resource center. There is a large photograph sitting on a tripod at the entrance to the warehouse that verified these humble beginnings to be true. Mr. Oscar Easley, businessman and business partner at that time, joined Mr. Walker in this vision which is also reflected in the photograph at the entrance, with both men wearing heavy overcoats and sitting on wooden crates, as they discussed the future potential of the warehouse.

We are living in a new day and it requires new mindsets and new ways of being in this world. And through the graces of Omniscience God, the team at 777 Community Warehouse understands this and is committed to contributing to the expansion of community peace, cultural awareness, artistic expression, educational enlightenment, and consciousness building for personal and collective growth.

To date Mr. Walker has transformed the warehouse into the community resource and event center that he envisioned, presenting to the community a beautifully furnished art deco environment for community members to experience and enjoy. 777 Community Warehouse is designed to accommodate conferences, meetings, business and social mixers, performing arts presentations, visual arts presentations, religious services, educational seminars, musical concerts, wedding receptions, quinceaneras, and other events that support the needs of the community in a spirit of excellence.

Every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Food and Clothing Ministry of 777 Community Warehouse is open to the homeless population and anyone in the community who is in need of clothing and food. This service is also available during other days of the week based on emergency needs and county agency referrals. Other family support services are available upon request.

Members of the community are encouraged and welcome to stop by and visit the facility at any time by call (909) 567- 5824 for an appointment. We look forward to serving you.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Everywhere you go in life there are warning signs. There are signs along the roadway that point to danger that lies ahead. There are warning signs that our bodies give us from time to time. There are warning signs that our minds send out when there is a problem. Then, there are spiritual warning signs. Times when we slack up in our commitment to the Lord… When we forsake the assembly of the saints… When we don’t pray and when we don’t give as we should. Times when we harbor bitterness and un-forgiveness… We hold onto hurts and have hard feelings toward others. Right now, lights are flashing “Approaching Danger” because there is some stuff that you are walking in that ain’t the way that God has told you to walk. There are some things that you are doing that God hasn’t told you to do. Flirting with sin; messing around in areas where you have no business being…  “Do Not Pass Go… Do Not Collect $200”….This is serious… It could be the difference between life and death!  Take heed to God’s warning or you will suffer the consequences.

Listen, warnings are meant to help, not to harm us.  They are meant to protect us from doing something foolish and harmful in our life. Warnings are an act of God’s grace. Unfortunately though, there are many today who are not good listeners, and they only hear what they want to hear, because just like the opposing Jews of the first century, their hearing is dull and their vision is blurry. I tell you we are remarkably oblivious to the obvious. We can see absolute concrete signs that something is so, and yet, we don’t listen, we don’t believe; we don’t pay attention.  How many people have been killed because they went around a railroad barricade? Lights flashing; bells ring; barricade in the way, nah, those don’t mean anything right. Next thing you know, death has swallowed another one up… Do not ignore the warning signs. Read the writing on the wall and heed God’s warning because “Warning Comes before Destruction!” Do not be like Samson who manifested all the signs of a man who was headed for trouble in his life {Judges 14:1-9} yet, he ignored every one of those signs and traveled ever farther down a road that brought him dishonor, defeat and death.  As Samson took his first steps down the road to ruin, he had no idea where his path would ultimately lead him. He had no idea how bad things would be at the end of the way. Had he heeded God’s warning signs, Samson could have avoided many of the problems he faced later in life. Even Israel, God longed for them to repent. But instead of growing closer to God, they were getting farther away. God had sent His Word, but she had refused to obey. He sent correction, but she only hardened. He invited her to trust Him, but she chose to place her trust in man. He desired for her to return, but she drifted farther and farther away. Don’t do it… Don’t ignore God’s warnings. You know Zephaniah chapter 3 verses 1-7, was written to the backslidden nation of Judah, but they offer some valuable information for us today. When we find ourselves headed in the wrong direction, there is only one intelligent thing to do: Turn- around! The Bible calls that repentance; or changing our direction.  Imagine for a moment how Samson’s life would have been different if he had recognized the warning signs and turned his life toward God. Imagine now what God could do with us if we would simply recognize the warning signs that present themselves in our lives.  If you can see evil desires, disobedience to God’s will and deception in your life, the time to change is now. It may not be too late to avoid catastrophe in your life. You know the starting place is what the rich man in Hell acknowledged, that you must repent of your sins, and change the direction of your life.

True- Story. “Many years ago a young man violated some traffic laws, and was involved in a hit and run traffic accident. He was chased by the police, but made a desperate effort to get away. He attempted to get on the Turnpike at the interchange. And when he saw that the entrance was lined with cars, he went off the entrance drive, around the pay stations, and sped onto the Highway. The police followed the speeding car, and telephoned ahead. Roadblocks were quickly set up in an effort to stop the person from his mad rush to a likely accident. But he was able to dodge the roadblocks, one after another. Sometimes he simply ran them down; other times he crossed the median strip and went into the other lane of traffic, and then turned back again. Finally, in a desperate effort to stop the young man, two huge trucks were placed across all four lanes of traffic. Red flares were set up at intervals several miles ahead, to warn the driver of approaching danger. Everyone was sure this blockade would stop the mad driver, but as he approached the roadblock, he looked in his rearview mirror; he saw the police behind; he looked straight ahead and saw the two trucks, but instead of stopping, he kept moving at one hundred miles per hour, and crashed headlong into the trucks, hurling his soul into an endless eternity. His car went under the trucks, and came out on the other side, a smashed, mangled, twisted bundle of steel…” Listen, just as the policemen did everything within their power to stop the speeding boy and even gave him warning signals ahead, so God is doing everything possible to keep us from continuing on the path that leads to Hell. It is God’s desire that every human being should repent, believe the Gospel, and live a new life of obedience to Jesus Christ, walking daily under the control of the Holy Spirit.

I hope that each of us will keep our eyes and ears open to the warning signs that are given to us in the Bible so that we can live a life that will be acceptable before God and so that our souls will be saved in the end. Let us believe God. Let us see His grace in His warnings concerning His wrath against sin. Let us not deny the truth, but warn people to flee from the wrath to come. Let us make sure that we ourselves have repented and hidden ourselves in Christ alone, so availing ourselves of the one and only escape from God’s wrath, faith in Jesus Christ our sin bearer. Let us make sure we respond to God’s trumpet call of warnings and obey His commandments that we might live. Surely, if anyone who reads this message ends up in the place of outer darkness, you will go there over the love of God, the warnings of God, the cross of Calvary, the prayers of God’s people, and the teaching of the Gospel.  Do Not Pass Go… Do Not Collect $200!

By Naomi K. Bonman

It’s always an exciting affair to have the pleasure of covering one of the largest and long standing film festivals within the Black community. On Sunday, February 15, the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) closed out an amazing two weeks of panels, international films, and workshops with the highly anticipated film, The Man in 3B, based off of the book by world renowned Black author, Carl Webber. The premiere of the film took place at Rave Cinemas 15 located at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles. It was preceded with a red carpet and followed by an exclusive after party.

The film is directed by Trey Haley; produced by Princess Monique, ND Brown, Veronica Nichols, Tracey Moore, Jeffery Dumpson, and Walter Nixon; and the film features an array of incredibly talented actors which include Lamman Rucker, Christian Keyes, DB Woodside, Brely Evans, Kellita Smith, Nefessa Williams, Billie Dee Williams, Jackee Harry, Marla Gibbs, Robert Ri’chard, Anthony Montgomery, and Olivia Longott.

Man in 3B is a romantic thriller following the story of Daryl Graham (Lamman Rucker) who just moved into a Jamaica, Queens apartment building, and his neighbors, female and male alike, can’t stop talking about him. From his extreme attractiveness to his undeniable swag, Daryl is the man every woman wants to be with and every man wants to be.

After the screening there was a Q&A session with the cast and crew. During the session each actor gave a few pointers, tips, and advice to those who want to break into the industry. Some of them were to “continue working hard, network at film festivals such as PAFF, and to be a pleasant spirit because no one wants to work with an individual who becomes a headache.” They also mentioned how each of them started with several littles roles which then opened the door for their big break. So as long as you keep working hard and NETWORK, NETWORK, and NETWORK with the right individuals, your goals and dreams will unlock.

The production crew has been blessed to receive several offers regarding distribution and screening of the film for the future. Be sure to keep an eye out for the film to hit your local theater and/or department store. Please visit www.tridestined.com for updates regarding the film.

Photos by John A. Castro & Naomi K. Bonman

Publishers Commentary by Wallace J. Allen

Crispus Attucks

Black History Month is an acknowledgment of the fact that “Black Lives Matter”! The history of the planet and its people is peppered with accomplishments of adventure, creativity and tenacity by men and women of color.  The need to provide special attention to the importance of Black people in the development of the planet and Western Civilization is based on the institutional justification of Black enslavement. The Western Civilization economic needs justified a policy of Colonization that time has lived to determine as racist and exploitive. America’s greatness is tainted by our history of slavery and denial of reparations for the enslaved and their children’s, children’s, children.  The first official blood spilled for America’s freedom was that of Crispus Attucks, a Black man. Despite the hate constantly heaped upon Blacks in America, supported by the laws and policy of America’s institutions, Black people have served, contributed and earned the right to be respected and honored as a golden thread in America’s fabric.

Black History Month is a time that the institutions of America need to step up and acknowledge the equality gap. The elected officials, especially those who are in place because of Black elective support, as the representatives of the institutions that still get it wrong, should use BHM as a time to address the Black Community and express concern for the inequality that still exists. They need to attend events and place advertisements in the programs that are advocating for equal access and opportunity for the least served.  Though we applaud the accomplishments of Alexander Dumas, we cannot forget that Blacks are statistical victims in America’s education system.  Our elected officials are in charge of the schools that fail our children and the society that could benefit from another great Black scholar. They are in charge of our cities and counties where public safety and other government jobs are issued to the family members and friends of the “all ready employed good ole boys”.   There are still many individuals who have racist tendencies, but it is the institutions that have the power of policy that causes havoc to race relations in America.

Black History Month is the time that allows for image correction. The Black image is in need of an upgrade from both, the inside and outside… Black folk cannot afford to have “a season of pride”.  We should regard pride as a lifestyle not an occasion.  A lifestyle of pride requires us to realize that what we do today will be what our children’s children will regard as their history.  We will want them to know that we held our elected officials to a standard of service and respect that earned our votes.  The need for remembering Black people’s historical contributions will continue as long as our elected officials continue to allow and promote policies such as “war on drugs” and “three strikes”. Those policies are racist and they develop the statistics that make Blacks appear to be a social problem as opposed to the benevolent contributors that history proves.

Register to vote and vote! Take your children to a City Council, a School Board or County Board of Supervisors meeting, and explain how the officials get there and how they are replaced by election or recall.  Who you and I voted for and where you and I spent our money will become important personal history that has social implications for our children.  Let us get it right!

DUNAMIS L1019

What it Do this week Inland Empire! Being raised in the church and actively a part of the choir growing up, let’s just say that this girl loves the LORD. As we all know traditional church music and songs are becoming more and more extinct. Don’t get me wrong, I love the old songs and hymns but I also love the new music too. With that being said let me introduce our talented LUE Productions Gospel Rapper, Michael Napper, also known as, DUNAMIS L1019!

Currently residing in the Inland Empire by way of St. Louis, DUNAMIS L1019 is not taking any prisoners with his unique sound and way of words. He started rapping seriously at the age of 20. The Lord, his family, and the people inspired him to become a Gospel Rapper. DUNAMIS L1019’s love for rap and the Lord made for a great combination. One of his goals is to not only touch and reach broken souls outside the faith based community, but within too.

This gospel rapper has had an opportunity to work with some major hittas in the game such as “2Face Humble & Riteous”, “Prophetic Muzik Group”, “Jason Taylor”, “Triumphant”, “Moedy Woods”, and Producers “Larry Boyd”, “RJ”, and “Nubrain”. Checkout his current project “Power and Might” which is available now on iTunes. He’s currently working on his new album titled, “Just getting started”. Be on the lookout for more amazing music from our Gospel rapper. Music links can be located on all music sites under DunamisL1019.

Matthew 25:15a “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” Use your gifts! L’s!

Josephine and I have enjoyed our Westside Story Newspaper fellowship with our Inland Empire family and friends! We have raised our children with you as you have raised yours. Like many of you, we are not only happily blessed with grandchildren, but we also get to spend quality time with them. We realize and note the ugliness that society can sink into, but because of the natural beauty of the snow-capped mountains that describe the San Bernardino Valley, we are quick to remember that “God is in charge”!    We truly appreciate the time we have had, but we are still young enough to be very concerned about the future. Not just our, but that of you and your families’.  We will continue our quest of sharing the quest for excellence because the echoes that speak to our souls require it! Thank you for being who you are, and for letting us be who we are.

God bless you!

Wallace & Josephine Allen

Don’t Take Away the Ladder to Success for Aspiring Minority Small Business Owners

Dexter and Djenane Bartholomew own seven Golden Corral franchises, with five in Kentucky and two in New Jersey. The couple has been married for 17 years and sponsors several community youth organizations at their home in New Jersey. Djenane, who is a registered nurse, also volunteers at a mobile clinic each year on a trip to her native Haiti.

By Djenane Bartholomew

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

“I found Him whom my soul loveth: I held Him, and would not let Him go” {Song of Solomon 3}…  I want you to know that “My Beloved is mine, and I am His…” A love I never dreamed possible… Oh Lord, my heart belongs to you alone! Take me now and let me be the bride who will bring you great joy. Cause me each day of my life to walk so closely to you that I will experience your intimacy which will begin to change me into your blessed image forever.…. Oh when I contemplate the rich love of Jesus I am drawn to Him like iron to the magnet… I tell you, to be loved by Jesus is literally an indescribable thing.  God demonstrating His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I don’t know about you but this text ministers powerfully to my heart. If you want a visible definition of love, look at what God did for you in Christ…  If you really want to understand love, don’t listen to love songs, or people who throw the term love around… If you want to get to the depths of what it means to love and be loved, look to the cross of Christ. The cross is the ultimate expression of God’s incomprehensible love to us… For the cross is God’s way of saying, “I love you this much,” with His arms outstretched. His final words etched on a Roman cross. They are blood red. They scream to be heard… I tell you I have been captured by love…  A love that knows no limits, no bounds, and no end… Jesus… My Sweet Valentine!

You know there have been many definitions of love. There have been many people who have written books about love. There are songs about love. There are poems about love. There are discussions about love. But when you’ve said it all and you’ve read it all and you’ve sung it all, you just might wonder “What Love Got to Do with It,” because the things they talk about, sing about and write about really aren’t about love at all, but rather about affection, longing, goose-bumps types of emotional thrills. The love they talk about runs hot, it runs cold, and it runs lukewarm. It brings tears of joy, tears of depression, and screams of excitement and hollers of disappointment. The Bible however, addresses a “Greater Love” that uses an entirely different term than “philo.” That term is “Agape.” The difference, Agape is a love characterized by commitment.  If you believe in Jesus Christ, don’t think of His love for you merely in terms of the love He has for the world. Think of the love that takes captive and cleaves and unites and cherishes and defends. Think of a marriage covenant between you and God in which He has sworn by His Holiness to love you with a saving, cleansing, and glorifying love. Remember His Words in Psalm 89:34 that says, “I will not violate My covenant, or alter the word that went forth from My lips.” This is what we long for, and this is what we have by faith, an experience of being loved with a love that lasts, that is not fickle, or uncertain, or capricious, but durable, constant, and stable. Not, only, a love that is extensive, but that lasts over time, all time, but also a love that is intensive. We long to be loved radically, deeply, excessively, passionately. I tell you, My Beloved is mine and I am His! Oh may God give us the power to comprehend what is the height and depth and length and breadth, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that we might be filled with all the fullness of Him.

If you would allow me to make this very personal, love being the high point of everything, the fulfilling of the whole law and the number one ingredient in life {Romans chapter 13}.  I want you to know that God knew every flaw and weakness I would have and every mistake I would make when He called me into relationship with Himself. Nothing about me surprises Him. God knows and has always known everything about me. He knows what I will think, do and say every day for the rest of my life. He also knows how He will help me, teach me, correct me, encourage me, and give me grace for all my faults and failures. He is always for me and never against me, no matter what I do. God loves unconditionally, and that means He accepts us the way we are and then helps us to be all we can be. When you have someone who loves holding you, it doesn’t matter anymore what everyone else does or what the circumstances are or what the future holds. When you are in the arms of a loving God, when you have been consumed with His love, you share in His benefits. God’s love is beyond comprehension. Amazing, isn’t it? God knows us and still loves us. God knows that we are sinners, yet He forgives; we are diseased, yet He heals; we are in a pit, yet He pulls us out; we are ungrateful for His good gifts, yet He gives them anyway; and we deserve justice, yet He grants mercy. When God says I love you, He is saying that you matter to Him. You are a person of worth. You are valuable to Him. Regardless of what others think, in His eyes you are wonderful! God’s love touches every part of our life. Nothing – no calling or circumstance, no adversity or advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station – escapes the brush strokes of God’s love. God’s love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives. God has loved us with an everlasting love, and with loving-kindness He has drawn us. Indeed, we belong to Divine Love, and only God’s love is unfailing and always fully satisfying. In these last days, there has never been a time when we so desperately need to spend significant daily time contemplating the life of Jesus. “No greater love than this that a man would lay down his life for his friends” {John 15:13}. Oh, how He loves you and me! My Sweet Valentine! To the only wise God my Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen!

LUE Productions Indie Artists Showcase Showdown this Sunday at the Office Saloon in San Bernardino located at 123 North E. Street is WHAT IT DO! So, this Sunday several artists will be going head to head for a chance to open for the legend, SUGA FREE. The winner will not only receive a free performance slot but other awesome prizes. The competition will be judged by qualified individuals and hosted by the TWEET TWEET MAN himself, IE’s own, TheRealDirty Birdy.

The night will be action packed with dope performances starring musician NOFACE THE SHADOWMEN and featuring LUE Productions artists: Mack Pepperboy, Paul Douglas, Dunamis L1019, Dada Doe, Lowla Scott, Speaker Junkie ENT, and B.C. Group. There will also be special performances by Yung Muusik, Faulty, Yawnie Mami, RETRO 80z, Jet Tanner, Ms Beauty, and Money Ant.

Going Head to Head we have the following artists: KJ Jankiies, SoCal Street Team, Franklin Barnes, GWAAP Fam, AP The Great, Cali Stone, Natural Born, ID Mack, Michaelangelo Willis Newell, Jay Iverson, BigSpooke The Foe, and Dc Offxtop Jme. The venue will be packed, so early arrival is suggested. DJ Muda will be on the 1z and 2z all night, and there will be exclusive red carpet interviews provided by Onmymama.TV, The Nut House, and Rigorouse TV. Come have some fun with LUE Productions! Remember L’s Up!

Doors open at 8 p.m. and yes there will be drink Specials. For more information, please text (909) 495.0848 or (909) 496.2151. The judges will be Adam Sutton, a Surprise Guest, and DJ Muda.