(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Come out and support Fighting 4 the Tatas while enjoying an exciting night of 66ers baseball! Come early because the 66ers will be handing out a limited supply of “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” double bobbles, sponsored by LiUNA. With your continued support, Fighting 4 the Tatas is able to carry out our mission on offering support to those suffering from Inflammatory Breast Cancer and other aggressive forms of breast cancer. So come and have some fun under the sky as we enjoy some Good Ole Fashion Baseball.
Saturday, June 8 6:05 PM – 09:00 PM San Manual Stadium
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— The Thorazine haze was beginning to fade when Glenn Towery was discharged from Oakland Naval Hospital. For the last however-many days he had felt listless, “like a non-human being,” making him forget why he was even there in the first place.
Before that, he occupied a hospital cot in the Philippines, next to an injured Marine who was asking about the weeping sores that covered his face and hands. “Where’d you get those Willie Peter burns?” he said — a question that burns into Towery’s memory.
He had been serving on the gunline in Vietnam as a quartermaster for the United States Navy — a ranking many on the ship did not take a liking to given it was 1972 and most other African Americans were low-rank deckhands. In fact, it was the first time Towery had been back on the ship since filing a complaint for the unjust discrimination and harassment he’d experienced.
He’d seen it all: racist graffiti drawn in sharpie all over his workstation; anger from other blacks who seemed less than impressed by his higher rank; an attack from behind that left him beaten, bruised, unconscious and alone.
“When you’re on a small ship, that becomes your world; and if your world is not a world where you feel welcome, it begins to play on you here,” Towery says, pointing to his head.
As a quartermaster, he had undergone months of intense training to navigate the ship and act as a watchman. But on the gunline, he was approached with new orders to “hump shells” and was given on-the-spot training. He spent the next few hours loading and firing as bullets whistled overhead, never thinking twice about the white powder on the shells he was loading.
“Someone tried to kill me,” says Towery, remembering his response to the injured Marine asking about the sores the white phosphorus powder had left on his skin, which begun “oozing out pus, and then crusting over.”
The realization angered him: “I kept replaying it in my head; innocently, not knowing what that powder was as I was working hard, sweating, still doing my duty.” He demanded, once again, to file charges, a request that the doctors ignored repeatedly, until he couldn’t take it anymore.
He pulled the IV out from his arm, slipped on a pair of foam slippers and took off across the field in nothing but his hospital smock. Behind him, military police rushed to stop him. But when they reached the commanding officer’s quarters, Towery “went berserk,” flipping tables, throwing chairs, and grabbing a letter opener, demanding his charges be filed.
By then, the police had drawn their service revolvers. Towery put down the letter opener, and they swarmed him, giving him a shot. He awoke in a daze, on a plane headed to the U.S., where he was transported to Oakland Naval Hospital and subjected to regular Thorazine shots.
It would be years before he could piece together his story through vivid, violent flashbacks and the information on his medical records. And it would be even longer still, until the Navy would recognize that the bouts of depression, hyperventilating and anxiety that left him debilitated, unable to hold down a job, was a “100 percent service-connected disability.”
After Vietnam, returning vets suffered from “Vietnam combat reaction,” but before that it was called “battle fatigue,” in World War II, or “shell shock,” in World War I. But by 1980, the infernal condition which Towery had been battling for years — at one point, driving him to homelessness — garnered a more permanent title: post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.
“I call it the feeling of dread. It’s the feeling something terrible is going to happen at any moment. And it swells up. And it grows. Can you imagine living like that for a month?” Towery says, describing his first-ever suicidal thoughts. “I just wanted it to stop.”
Every year, 6,000 veterans kill themselves — an estimated 20 deaths a day — making those who served 50 percent more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans, according to the latest report by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. And PTSD heightens that risk.
“I understand what that feeling is that drives a lot of veterans to commit suicide, because I have been there,” says Towery, who created the Veterans Suicide Prevention Channel. “And I know that art is a great way to dispel that feeling. It’s a form of meditation. It’s a form of release.”
Today, Towery combats those feelings by painting clocks and portraits, playwriting, composing music and even creating and producing his own film, “Starfunk and the Astral Pioneers.” He’s also working to organize the first Austin Veterans Art Festival, which will feature performances by The University of Texas at Austin Warrior Chorus — a scholar-led workshop, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, that brings together veteran communities to study classical literature as it relates to contemporary America — in which he actively participates.
“Warrior Chorus helps you seek out what’s really important through studying the Greek literature, philosophy and characters,” Towery explains. “We are transfixed with these mythological tales that make us think that we are better persons if we experience these so-called glories. But what does it do? It just hardens you as a person.
“For instance, Ajax was a murdering fool,” Towery adds. “He just went out and started killing stuff, trying to figure out why he doesn’t feel anymore.”
Remembering how angry, how injured, how bitter, he was when he came back from war, Towery works every day to preserve the humanistic part of him that once felt so lost.
“My goal is to be whole before I die,” Towery says. “I know that may sound strange, but that’s my goal. I want to be the person who stepped up and said ‘I promise to defend my country, foreign and domestic. I will lay my life down for these United States.’”
Lawndale Mayor and City Councilmembers Join Growing List of Local Elected Officials Backing Herb Wesson
President Herb Wesson
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA— Today, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson solidified his position as the grassroots candidate in the race for LA County Supervisor with endorsements from the entire Lawndale City Council, including Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles, Mayor Pro Tem James Osborne, City Councilmembers Dan Reid, Pat Kearney and Bernadette Suarez, and City Clerk Rhonda Hofmann Gorman. Wesson enjoys widespread support from local elected officials throughout the 2nd Supervisorial District, who represent the Cities of Inglewood, Lynwood, Gardena, Compton, Carson and Hawthorne.
In response to the news, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson released the following statement:
“I want to thank Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles and the entire City Council for their unwavering support. I am proud to have the backing of such passionate, forward-thinking leaders. As Supervisor, I will continue to work closely with the Lawndale City Council to fight the Trump agenda at the local level, protect our communities and ensure that every family has a roof over their head and a safe place to call home.”
Herb J. Wesson, Jr. served the 2nd Supervisorial District as Chief of Staff to legendary LA County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke prior to his election to the State Assembly. Wesson then became only the 2nd African American in California history to serve as Speaker of the Assembly. Mr. Wesson was elected to the LA City Council in 2005 representing Council District 10 and has served as President of the City Council since November 2011.
Wesson is the first African American to hold the position of Council President in the city’s history and has been re-elected three times to lead the city’s legislative body. During his tenure as Council President, Wesson has presided over monumental policy initiatives making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family. Not only have local policy initiatives — which include raising the minimum wage, pension reform and consolidating city elections to increase voter turnout — positively affected local residents, but in many cases, the city’s actions have spurred state and national response and served as a model for similar policies.
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— The
Bible says Christ will come like a thief in the night, when you least expect
him. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye, with the sound of a trumpet… Continuing
things as you have. What willful ignorance! You must be ready at all times. Listen,
Isaiah the prophet was sent to King Hezekiah with an alarming message. “Set
thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live.” I tell you, the same
warning is for us today, “Set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not
live.” Life is short; death is sure and God’s judgment is coming [Hebrews 9:2].
As Paul constantly cried, “Wake up! It is past midnight, and the Lord’s coming
has drawn near. Stir yourself and don’t be slothful. “Knowing the time, that
now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore
cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” [Romans
13:11-12]. Jesus announces, “Behold, I come quickly..” [Revelation 22:7].
Come
now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow… — yet you do not know what tomorrow will
bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and
then vanishes. Don’t dismiss the warnings.
“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going
and suffer for it.” [Proverbs 22:3]. “Wake up and weep, you drunkards!” “For
the Day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near.” [Joel 1:5, 2:1]. “…. Wake
up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have
not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God; and remember what you
have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will
come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”
[Revelation 3: 1-3].
I
tell you the signpost reads, “Stop! Look! Listen! Danger ahead!” The Spirit of
God, your conscience and your better judgment all join to warn, “Detour!
Change! You’re on the wrong road!” God is waving the red flag. His patience is
coming to an end. Do not take God’s patience for granted or think lightly of it.
Christ demands an immediate and unquestioning response. “Seek ye the Lord while
he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.” [Isaiah 55:6-7]
The demand of Jesus to repent goes to all the nations.
It comes to us, whoever we are and wherever we are, and lays claim on us. This
is the demand of Jesus to every soul: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God has come near, Repent and believe in the good news! [Mark 1:15]
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against
you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore
choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” [Deuteronomy 30:19]
First joint Sanctioned International BBQ Competition
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— NORCO, CA— Professional barbeque chefs will vie for more than $10,000 in cash, prizes and international bragging rights at the 5th Annual Horse Town Brew n’ Que Festival, June 1, in Norco, CA. The barbeque cook-off is the first joint international barbeque competition sanctioned by the prestigious Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS). Norco’s winning professional team members will fly to Perth, Australia to compete in Brew n’ Que Australia, Norco’s sister cook-off, October 5, 2019. Australian barbeque team, the Rib Racks, will join over 60 teams participating in the Norco contest. The festival plays host to craft beer tastings from the southern California’s most prized brewers: live entertainment: on site classes: a kids cooking class and a kids barbeque competition.
“We are very excited to join forces with the Norco barbeque contest”, notes Jason Linto, Australia’s organizer and president of BBQ Events Australia. “Norco’s facility is very unique and the festival represents everything that is all American.” Some the country’s best cooks will be there and we want to compete against the best. “I am thrilled to be involved with the Norco event,” he adds.
Norco organizer, Debbie Yopp, sees the event as a means to exchange ideas and develop barbeque cooking skills. “The festival and the teams competing are barbeque ambassadors but they are also developing relationships,” says Yopp. “This is now an international arena that allows us to learn from each other.”
Noted chefs Chris Ferrell, executive chef for Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que restaurant, Donna Fong, professional cook and barbeque instructor and television personality, “Bigg Dane” Florence will be on site overseeing a kids cooking class and kids barbeque competition. A vendor marketplace will include food and activities for adults and youth. Both craft beer and barbeque will be available to sample and attendees may cast a vote for their favorite craft beer or barbecue to determine the people’s choice awards. Additionally, a rare California Certified BBQ Judging (CBJ) class is also scheduled.
Live entertainment includes: Country-Blues stylist, Wumbloozo; toe stomping, the Blue Henrys; local favorite, the Honeylickers and San Francisco Bay’s hot West Coast Caravan of All Stars who add to the festival’s flavor. Special guest artist Lucky Lloyd and the Blues Shockers will perform a special tribute to BB King both in Norco and Australia.
Festival Hours: Saturday, June 1, 2019 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.: A Certified Table Captain’s and BBQ Judging Class will be held June 2. 2019. Tickets are now on sale and priced as follows: Advance tickets- General admission tickets, $12.00. BBQ Sampler tickets, $40.00, (includes 15 BBQ taste tickets). Beer Sampler Package, $40.00. Children 11 and under are free. For more information visit www.brewnquefestival.com or call (951) 444-1280.
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— The mural first went viral when 3-year-old “Lovie” Hope Duncan was photographed by her grandmother extending her own brown left hand to touch the brown painted hand of Harriet Tubman.
The mural of Tubman is 14 feet high and 24 feet wide, showing her in a reddish-colored braided headwrap, layered clothing, an outstretched right hand and a brave, encouraging look on her face. The mural is located on the side of the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center in Cambridge.
Tubman was a 19th-century abolitionist that courageously helped around 300 slaves to freedom starting when she was in her late 20s.
The striking mural, painted by FSU graduate Michael Rosato, was revealed in the same week as the White House decided that Tubman’s image, which was much anticipated, would not replace Andrew Jackson’s on the $20 bill. Jackson was a slave master and all-around racist. Tubman won’t be on the $20 bill until at least 2028.
“A sweet mural of hero/activist #HarrietTubman. She was a slave & she helped free slaves. Today Trump canceled Obama’s plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill in 2020. He claims it’s delayed for 8 more years. What he can’t stop is us posting her photo everywhere in response!”
On top of the mural, an artist has made a rubber stamp that anyone can order to replace Jackson’s face on the $20 bill as an act of “civil disobedience”. And they’re beautiful.
The artist of the stamp is 33-year-old Dano Wall. It had already sold out by May 24 and Wall’s goal is to put 5,000 stamps into circulation. The Tubman Stamp’s website also provides instructions on how to make your own stamp. The website says the stamp is legal and mentions The Stampede, an effort to stamp bills with messages “to protest big money in politics.”
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— San Bernardino’s Westside Action Group (WAG) presented the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House with a $1,000.00 check.
“This, our third annual donation to the Ronald McDonald House, comes from WAG’s Frank Stallsworth Benevolent Fund. This donation is part of our effort to support those elements that give back to our community… And the I. E. Ronald McDonald House certainly fits that category.” Said Joe Mays, WAG Treasurer!
Since opening on September 11, 1996, the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House has served more than 18,000 families. The House supports up to 54 families each night. Room requests are sent from the social workers at the hospital. Requests are reviewed on a daily basis based on diagnosis and distance.
Each family is considered on a case by case basis based on room availability. A contribution of $12 per night is requested to stay at the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House. However, no family has ever been turned away due to inability to pay. The House is able to support many families through the backing of local community partners.
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO – A total of 65 recipients of scholarships from the four-county region representing Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) schools will be recognized during a ceremony on April 30 in San Bernardino.
The students who represent schools and districts from Riverside, Inyo, Mono and San Bernardino counties (RIMS) will be recognized during an event at the Professional Development Center building for the San Bernardino City Unified School District.
Among the honorees are 41 students from San Bernardino County high schools. Students being honored by their schools and districts include:
Apple Valley Unified: Kayla Spruill, Apple Valley High;
Chaffey Joint Union: Victoria Aispuro, Ontario High; Evelin Avila, Chaffey High; Ariana Hernandez, Colony High; and Steicy Melendez, Montclair High;
Colton Joint Unified: Filimon Fregoso, Grand Terrace High; Daisy Martinez, Colton High; and Mauricio Valtierra Munoz, Bloomington High;
Fontana Unified: Rogelio Aguilar Lopez, Giovanny Flores Ceniceros, Marlen Garcia, Andres Larios and Itzhary Tamayo, Fontana High; Andrea Rodriguez and Nelly Velasquez, Summit High;
Hesperia Unified: Marilin Ayon and Brian Mojica, Hesperia High; Daniel Black and Martha Marquez, Sultana High; Cheri Long and Laura Morales, Oak Hills High;
Redlands Unified: Matthew Meyer and Nicasio Romero, Redlands East Valley High; and Joshua Venegas, Citrus Valley High;
Rialto Unified: David Gonzalez, Carter High; Simranpreet Kaur, Eisenhower High; and Ashley Morales, Rialto High;
San Bernardino City Unified: Paloma Alvarez, Pacific High; Ryan Chung, San Gorgonio High; Sofia Dominguez, San Bernardino High; Andrew Hernandez, Margarito Moedano, Destiny Serrato and Wang-Meng Yang, Indian Springs High; Luisita Munoz, Arroyo Valley High; Daysi Ramirez, Cajon High; and Samantha Spencer, Middle College High;
Upland Unified: Inia Brooks, Upland High;
Victor Valley Union: Jacqueline Cortez, Victor Valley High; George Pineda, Cobalt Institute of Math and Science; and Amber Van De Walle, Silverado High.
(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Every year, the Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire hosts a youth business conference where youth from across Southern California engage in meaningful business workshops and activities, preparing and educating them on entrepreneurship. The purpose of the conference is to nurture ideas and expose youth to entrepreneurship. With guest speakers and entrepreneurs, youth are able to explore the field of business and gain insight on what it takes to “Turn Your Ideas Into Income.” We, the Black Chamber of Commerce IE, invite you to join us as we educate youth and encourage you to invite any youth who may interested in participating!
Please click the link below to register or RSVP.
When Monday, June 24, 2019 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM PDT
WhereSan Bernardino Valley College (B-100) 701 South Mount Vernon Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92410
Funds from this grant will be for our Workforce Training and Development Center located inside the CAPSBC facilities. As one of the nation’s leading logistics hubs, San Bernardino County is experiencing significant job growth as distribution centers and warehouses for such giants as Amazon, FedEx Ground, Toyota Motor Corporation and Lineage Logistics advertise hundreds of jobs each week. Many of these job opportunities are going unfilled due to the lack of trained and experienced workers.
Participants in the Workforce Training and Development Program will learn the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of raw materials, in-process inventory, production of finished goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of meeting customer requirements – also known as Logistics and Operations.
To support YVYLA’s Workforce Training and Development Program, CAPSBC is providing classroom and warehouse space to house the training center.
Industry experts will provide on-site instruction at the training center located at the CAPSBC headquarters. Curriculum will include an in-depth study of global supply chain logistics, the logistics environment, material handling equipment, quality control principles, as well as safe material handling and equipment operation. Students will also participate in pre-employment workshops on work communications, resume writing, interviewing techniques, self-marketing, leadership and team building, and financial literacy.
“It is the purpose of YVYLA’s Workforce Training and Development Program to move the unemployed into well-paying jobs by preparing individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to become Certified Logistics Technicians,”says Stone. “With the help of our partners and funding from the Wells Fargo Foundation, we can improve the lives of many in San Bernardino County while improving the local economy as well,” he adds.
Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
