WSSN Stories

CHICAGO, IL — Today, Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), launched its new JET magazine app.  The app replaces the printed edition of the magazine.  The new digital magazine app will add fresh content on a weekly basis, every Friday.  Readers will be entertained by 3D images, video interviews, enhanced digital maps, audio content and photography from the JPC archives.

The app will be available on all tablet and mobile platforms.  There will be a free introductory offer of 30 days for all subscribers.

Actress Keke Palmer, the youngest talk show TV host of her new show “Just Keke,” is featured on the cover.  Inside the issue, the actress discusses what it was like growing up on camera, her talk show idols, and dealing with social media drama.

“This is such an honor,” said Keke Palmer.  “JET Magazine was always on the table in my family’s home and it’s great to be their first cover as they enter into the digital age.”

“I am excited to carry the torch of the iconic JET brand into the digital realm,” said Kyra Kyles, the newly appointed editorial director of both JET magazine app and JETmag.com.  “I am confident that we can keep the legacy of the magazine for generations.”

The first JET magazine app will offer:

• The first 360-degree view of the JET Beauty, with enhanced interaction with the model
• An exclusive viewing of Black&Sexy TV’s RoomieLoverFriends debut episode of season three – available only to JET app subscribers until July 6
• A chance to win a VIP experience to the largest house music event in the country – the 25th Annual Chosen Few Picnic (2015) in Chicago
• Featured celebrities – Stacey Dash, Anthony Anderson, Trey Songz and Taraji P. Henson

Instructions on how to download the new app can be found at JETMag.com and Ebony.com.

YAP AmeriCorp Graduates, staff and Elected Official Dignitaries Photo by Naomi K. Bonman

Written by Naomi K.  Bonman

Joesph Williams being presented with a from Bank of America

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Thursday, June 26, the Youth Action Project (YAP) held its 2013-2014 AmeriCorps Members Graduation ceremony. The ceremony was held at the San Bernardino Adult School. The brief ceremony featured a light meal as guests gathered in before the ceremony followed by a welcome from YAP Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Joesph Williams. YAP AmeriCorps Alumni Shonda Hutton was the keynote speaker for the evening where she spoke on “Self-Love and Knowing Who You Are”. She explained the four steps to success which were:

1. Defining your purpose
2. Knowing Your role. You don’t know everything. Make sure to value teamwork because ‘Teamwork makes the Dream work”.
3. Involve yourself around those who are succeeding and doing what you desire to do. Take notes and have them take you under their wings as their mentee.
4. Cultivate your relationships. Serve with those that you become involved with. Thank them often.

Proceeding Hutton, Alfred Arguello of Bank America presented YAP with a check for their dedication and commitment to everything that do in the community.  Kimberly Scott, YAP Program Assistant; and Tremanine Mitchell, Director of Operations, then recognized each graduated and presented them with their certificates and acknowledgments from elected officials throughout San Bernardino County and State District.

2014 community supporters included  Assemblymember Cheryl Brown, 47th District; San Bernardino Mayor, Carey R. Davis; Senator Mike Morrell, 23rd District; Fontana City Mayor, Acquanetta Warren; San Bernardino City Unified School District; San Bernardino  Employment Training Agency; California Volunteers, AmeriCorps; and Corporation for National and Community Service.

The three partner sites were Arroyo Valley High School, San Gorgonio High School, and San Bernardino Adult Education.

Interest rates and fees rise, subsidized loans won’t accrue interest during grace period

Oakland, CA – July 1 is when most changes to federal student aid go into effect for the coming school year.  Several are lined up for 2014-15, including higher interest rates on new student loans for undergraduates, graduate students, and parents. The Institute on College Access & Success’ (TICAS) Project on Student Debt has created a new easy-to-read chart with interest rates, loan amounts, and other useful information about federal loans issued in 2014-15.

In 2013, Congress changed the interest-rate rules for federal student loans. Rates for new loans are now set each year based on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rate in the spring of that year plus a fixed percentage that varies based on the loan type. Those rates are then fixed for the life of the loans.

“Federal student loans are still the safest way to borrow for college, with fixed rates, flexible repayment options like income-based repayment, and consumer protections like discharges when schools close,” said Lauren Asher, TICAS president. “But with interest rates on the rise, federal loans are expected to cost students and families more over time than if Congress had simply left them alone last year. Without clear information about the benefits of federal loans, news of rising rates may lead more borrowers to take on much riskier private loans instead.”

The rates for new loans this year are lower than if Congress had let the old rules stand, but beginning next July, the rates on some loans are expected to be higher than under prior law.  According to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections, rates for new loans will rise substantially over the next decade and generate $127 billion in government profits at borrowers’ expense.  Under prior law, interest rates would have consistently been 6.8% for all Stafford loans and 7.9% for PLUS loans. Under currentlaw, CBO projects rates for undergraduates to exceed 6.8% by 2017, and rates for graduate students and parents to top their old levels in 2015, just one year from now.

The changes coming on July 1 also include some good news for students and families:

• For new subsidized loans, interest won’t accrue during the six-month grace period before the first payment is due.  (This benefit was temporarily eliminated for subsidized loans issued in 2012-13 and 2013-14.)
• The maximum Pell Grant will increase by $85 to $5,730 (up from $5,645), financed by savings from cutting costly middlemen out of the student loan process back in 2010. However, even with this increase, the maximum Pell Grant will cover less than a third of what it costs to attend a four-year public college, the smallest share since the program began.

And here’s how the higher loan costs break down for federal student loans issued in 2014-15:

• Fixed interest rates
  • Stafford loans for undergraduates: 4.66% (up from 3.86% for loans issued in 2013-14).
  • Stafford loans for graduate students: 6.21% (up from 5.41% for loans issued in 2013-14).
  • Parent and Graduate PLUS loans: 7.21% (up from 6.41% for loans issued in 2013-14).
•  Origination fees
  • Because of budget sequestration enacted by Congress in 2011, origination fees will rise for federal Direct loans disbursed on or after October 1, 2014. For Stafford loans the fee will be 1.073% of the loan principal (up from 1.072%); for PLUS loans it will be 4.292% (up from 4.288%).

TICAS’ 2013 white paper includes detailed recommendations to keep federal student loans affordable, streamline the loan program, and better target benefits, as well as broader reforms to increase college affordability and completion.

For more information on new student loan terms, please see our summary of Federal Student Loan Terms for 2014-15.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino) honored outstanding men from the 47th Assembly District at her annual Men of Distinction program on Friday, June 20, at the Grand Terrace Community Center. The recognition event was attended by the honorees and their family members and included special appearances from Mayor Carey Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Virginia Marquez and Councilman Rikke Van Johnson, City of San Bernardino; Mayor Pro Tem Edward Palmer, City of Rialto; City Treasurer Janet Koehler-Brooks, City of Fontana; and Trustee Joseph Williams, San Bernardino Community College District.

The 2014 honorees included: Trustee Randall Ceniceros, Colton Joint Unified School District; Carlos Teran, a longtime community advocate; Alan Dyer, a member of the Board of Directors at the West Valley Water District; Richard Loder, a community volunteer and youth advocate;  Ratibu Jacocks, a consultant and executive board member of the Westside Action Group (WAG); Danny Marquez, founder of Veterans Partnering with Communities, Inc., Kermit Moss, a small business owner; and Matthew Slowik, a planning commissioner for the City of Fontana.

For more information, contact Ashley Jones at (909) 381-3238. 

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

For many of you, this might be one of the hardest truths to accept…..there is absolutely no hope of going and changing the past. “What’s done is done!” Your future is suffering because you can’t seem to forgive yourself for what you’ve already done. As sorry as we are for the things that we have done, we cannot go back in time and undo them. And what good is it anyway to sit and beat yourself up over the things that you’ve done? If you are really sorry, then pick yourself up and do something different with your life. Stop worrying about things that you cannot change, and do what you can to change the things that are still within your power to do something about, because “What’s done is Done!”

In Luke 9:62 we find a story that vividly illustrates the danger of looking back. God has just pronounced judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah and they are about to be destroyed. In the meantime, God sends a message to Lot and his family. “Flee for your life; do not look back, or stop anywhere in the valley; flee to the hills, lest you be consumed.” Lot and his wife, and their two daughters left behind their home as fire and brimstone rain down on Sodom and Gomorrah. Then the unexpected happened. Lot’s wife looked back with a degree of longing to return to what she had left, and she became a pillar of salt.  Her life was literally on the line, and rather than being fully engaged in surviving, she placed a higher priority on life’s lesser matters than on the greater one of preserving her life through God’s gift of protection. She looked back, revealing her heart still to be in Sodom, a type of the world. You cannot serve God and mammon. Her action indicated regret for having left. Jesus says, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” We must not let the past determine our future.

Today, let us resolve that the past will be the power from which we move forward, because the past is just that –“Past.” Paul is an example of a healthy view of the past. He owned his past as blasphemer, persecutor, and aggressor. He knew and accepted his past; he accepted responsibility and did not blame others for his actions. But, because Paul knew that he was forgiven, and because he confidently trusted God’s forgiveness, he did not retain the guilt of what he had done. He retained the memory, but it was his power, his strength, his motivation, his hope, and his ever present evidence and reminder of God’s grace.

It serves no purpose to deny, ignore, or hide the past. The past is to be accepted and owned.  But with that acceptance comes responsibility for the present, the ability to make choices, to grow, and to change.“….Forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before, and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!” {Phil 3:13-14}…. “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!”

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced a $20 million settlement with former players over college-themed basketball and football video games produced by Electronic Arts.

The NCAA said Monday that the agreement will provide money to plaintiffs headed by former Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller. The case was scheduled for trial in March 2015.

The settlement will award $20 million to certain Division I men’s basketball and Bowl Subdivision football players. Details were still be finalized.

Read More

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

“I didn’t do it!”  “It’s not my fault!”… This is what you say when you blame other people for your problems. It’s a way of explaining why life hasn’t worked out the way you would like. You’ve been treated unfairly; you’ve ended up on the short end of the stick; you’ve been dealt a lousy hand of cards. You’re a victim. And that’s how you get through life—by blaming other people for the bad things that happen to you. If you lose your job, it’s because the boss was unreasonable; he didn’t understand you; he had it in for you; he hated you from the moment you walked into the office – “It’s not your fault!” Couldn’t be! Impossible! Unthinkable!

Sounds familiar?

These days it seem as if everyone has been exposed to the “Blame someone else Syndrome.” It’s your parents, brother, sister, pastor, deacons, preachers, church members, school teachers, classmates, boss, bus driver, friend, children, casino, and the co-workers fault that you have been contaminated with the “Blame someone else Syndrome.”

We are always “Passing the Buck.” In the beginning, Adam blamed Eve – and not only did he blame Eve, but he blamed God for giving her to him!  And he was not the only one playing the blame game. Eve blamed the serpent {Genesis 3: 1-14}. Neither accepted responsibility, both pointed the fault-finger away from them and somewhere else and entered into the victim-vortex where the swirl of “It’s not my fault,” kept them and will keep us locked out of truly living God’s unique call on our lives.

The truth is that whether it is physical, financial, or spiritual, whatever the issue, the response of some people will always be, “It’s not my fault!”  We live during a time when people are unwilling to take personal responsibility for their own lives, for their own welfare, for their own health, or for their own spiritual growth.  There is always a tendency to look for someone else to blame. But the fact is that when we stand before God and the judgment seat of Christ, we will answer for our own failures and the choices we have made.  “No Excuses will be Accepted!”

And what’s really sad, is that many in the church today have the “It’s not my fault,” mentality. They either make excuses or blame someone else for their own sins or shortcomings. It is time to take an honest look at ourselves by the standard of God’s Word, look at our sins for what they are, confess them, and ask God to forgive us. Then and only then, can we truly be fruitful in the Lord’s Kingdom.

So stop making excuses. Quit shifting the blame to others. Accept your circumstances and position, and instead of making excuses for your actions, change your behavior. We serve a great God.  Our limitations are God’s opportunities to show Himself mighty in our lives. Don’t play the blame game; own it by name and avoid the shame.

Vernell Taylor
Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager
Union Bank, N.A.

By Vernell Taylor

Spring is here and many of us are busy cleaning out closets and dusting the cobwebs that may have accumulated during the winter. While you are taking on spring cleaning projects, consider taking a fresh look at your finances.

Following are a few tips to help with your financial spring cleaning:

Revisit your budget

Review your household budget and look for areas where you might be spending more than you should, or budgeting more than you might need, and then adjust your budget accordingly. Use this time to revisit your short- and long-term goals for expenses, such as college, purchasing a home, or retirement, and make sure you are setting aside enough in savings. Look for ways to pay down debt and contribute more to savings and investments on a regular basis.

Automate
Talk to your banker about technology and services that your bank may offer to help simplify your finances. Take advantage of direct deposit, online banking, and automatic payments for recurring bills, and set up regular automatic transfers to savings, investment and retirement accounts.

Look for ways to cut expenses

If you carry a balance on your credit cards, call your credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate, or seek alternatives elsewhere. If you notice that mortgage rates have dropped two or more points than what you are paying, consider refinancing your home mortgage at a lower interest rate. Compare home and auto insurance plans and contact your insurance agent and ask if you can reduce your rate. Contact your utility company to inquire about possible ways to save on your bill.  Consider adjusting your withholding so you get as much money as possible in your paycheck versus a large refund when you file taxes.

Review important financial documents and policies

Pull copies of your will and/or living trust, and other important documents and review them to make sure they are up to date. Obtain a copy of your credit report and correct any errors. To get a free credit report from each of the three major credit-reporting bureaus, go to annualcreditreport.com. Review insurance policies to make sure you have adequate coverage and a designated beneficiary of your choosing.

Consolidate accounts

If you have multiple 401k accounts, consider rolling them into a single IRA account to allow for streamlined control of your investments and to help reduce the paperwork of multiple accounts. Reduce your monthly bills by consolidating debts or loans into as few accounts as possible, and simplify even more by bundling services such as cable, internet and phone.

Control the clutter

Set up a simple filing system, and use it consistently.  Assign folders, binders, or other receptacles to gather pending bills, statements, receipts and important financial documents, and store them in a safe place. Shred unnecessary paper, such as old sales receipts that have no tax purpose, or utility bills that can be accessed online. Consider creating digital files by scanning documents and filing them on your computer, but be sure to have that information backed up on a CD, flash drive or back up service. Inquire about paperless billing options to reduce the amount of paper waste and clutter.

Update your calendar 
Set up a calendar to remind you when bills are due, policies are up for renewal, tax deadlines and other important financial dates to avoid late fees and penalties. Don’t forget to include reminders for things like year-end charitable contributions, and regular meetings with your banker or investment advisor to review your holdings and take into consideration any changing goals or circumstances.

The foregoing article is intended to provide general information about financial spring cleaning and is not considered financial or tax advice. Please consult your financial or tax advisor.

Herbie Hancock

Internationally renowned pianist and composer, Herbie Hancock, will deliver this year’s commencement address for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts) on Saturday, June 14, 2014. Commencement takes place at 4 pm at Dickson Court North (Perloff Quad) on the UCLA Campus.

A 14-time Grammy Award winner and Professor at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, Hancock has been an integral part of every jazz movement since the 1960s. Born in Chicago, he began playing piano at age seven. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, Hancock became one of the pioneers of modern jazz improvisation. His recordings during the ’70s combined electric jazz with funk and rock sounds in an innovative style that influenced an entire decade of music. In 1983, “Rockit,” from the platinum-selling Future Shock album, won Hancock a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental. He received an Academy Award in 1987 for Best Score, honoring his work on Round Midnight and in 2007, Hancock became the first jazz musician in 44 years to receive a Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his 47^th studio release, River: The Joni Letters. As UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, he established and co-chairs International Jazz Day, which is celebrated in every country around the world each April 30. Hancock also serves as Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

“We are absolutely delighted and deeply honored that the great Herbie Hancock will be our commencement speaker this year, ” says Daniel M. Neuman, Interim Director, Herb Alpert School of Music (former Dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost).

This year’s graduating class includes 386 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students from across the School’s six academic units: Architecture and Urban Design, Art, Design Media Arts, Ethnomusicology, Music and World Arts and Cultures / Dance. The ceremony is open to the public.

For more information, visit UCLA Arts and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Joyce Fairman (wearing white, center) and Members, Hearts of Color, Inc, Board of Directors.

By John Coleman

Following near-fatal, ‘unusual-to-rare’ heart disorder, Joyce Fairman determined to find out everything possible about what went wrong with her heart; what complicated her surgery and other treatments;  and what information is now available to help people to be as heart healthy as possible.  She founded Hearts of Color, Inc. to help publicize availability of information, support,  and other resources for people  before and after experiencing heart disease.

Although focusing on the special needs and risks affecting women of color’s heart and  other health conditions, Ms Fairman’s web site includes men’s health issues as well.

To fund it’s program, Hearts of Color, Inc. recently held it’s monthly fund-raiser breakfast at the Applebees Restaurant in Highland.