EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— More than 700 individuals of all ages, enjoyed the entertainment and down home fun presented by Akoma Unity Center at the 1^st Annual Sunday Jazz in the Park on Sunday, September 30^.  hosted by Akoma Unity Center.

Sponsors for the event included: American Health Coalition, C.O.P.E, Del Valejo Middle School, Empire Management, Image Source USA, Plan B Printing, Westside Story Newspaper, and Sacred Sistahs.. Jazz in the Park unified and reignited a sense of community to over five generations on the West side of San Bernardino. Families enjoyed an evening full of joy, laughter, and love of good music. While continuing the legacy of Dr. Anne Shirrells

“The goal of this event was to deliver a sophisticated, family oriented community event that brought over five generations out to enjoy,” Jennifer Xicara, Operations Manager at Akoma Unity Center stated.

Akoma Unity Center has delivered! This event transformed Anne Shirrells Park into an oasis of premier music, election awareness, food, and fun, creating an ambiance like no other in the Inland Empire.

“Akoma Unity Center did a great job!”Jim Tickemyer, Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Services stated. “Seeing the community come together to just kick back and enjoy themselves was a great way to start the week. Please extend my gratitude to all of Akoma. Thank you for your vision and commitment to seeing it through to fruition.”

The stellar line up included genres for every jazz lover featuring: Inland Empire’s native, Amore the Songstress, who gave vibes of the amazing Anita Baker and Jill Scott intertwined in one; Johnny Meza and Company, whom had his original song Dirty Martini hit number 23 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz charts; and the closing performances by Gee Mack, a legendary guitar player and The Hottest Cats featuring Asia Raye. When musical groups were not on stage, DJ Wen provided old school music that inspired everyone to get up out their seats and dance.

Akoma Unity Center is a 501 C(3) Non-Profit organization committed to providing children with high quality, no-cost afterschool structured recreation, and development programs in a safe and supervised environment.

If you would like to learn more information about Akoma Unity Center, please visit our website at http://akomaunitycenter.org or call (909) 217-7956.

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— It’s easy to fall into the same rut in which the world runs. It’s easy to go with the flow and do as the unconverted world around us does. It is easy to adopt the attitude of Ambrose of Milan when he said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Many Christians do just that. We adopt the ways of the world. We adopt their fashions, their speech, their standards, their entertainment, and nearly everything else they do. All the while, the Lord tells us that we are to be different from them in every way. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing…”[2 Corinthians 6:17].

Listen, if we are going to emulate anyone, let it be the Lord. If we are looking for an example to follow, let us look no farther than the Lord God Almighty. As Christians we are told by the Bible to live holy lives that reflect the nature of God. We are to separate ourselves from actions, influences, or people that will hinder our service to God. We should be like a thermostat that regulates the temperature around us rather than a thermometer that merely records the temperature. Ought not Christian to be different? Ought not we to be distinct, separate, not the same, out of the ordinary, unusual? Christ was distinct, separate, out of the ordinary, and he called his followers to be like him. Listen, Holiness is not an option. It is mandatory.

Know that everything we say, and everything we do, must be governed by who’s we are, and by who we are. Granted, there was a time in our lives when we were no different from the world around us. We were lost like them. We lived like them. We acted like them. We talked like them. We did so because we were them. But when Jesus saved us by His grace, He transformed us, by His power, through the new birth, into a new creature, [2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:23]. He delivered us from the bondage of the old life. Now, we do not have to live like the world lives. We do not have to act, talk, walk, or be like them in any way. We have the capacity, through Christ, to live new lives that glorify and honor God. The warnings are clear. The Bible says in [Romans 12:2] “Do not be conformed to this world.”

The whole point here is that God expects His people to live a certain way. He has reasons for what He demands, and there are consequences for those who disobey. If we want the blessings of God to be on our lives, then we must live holy, clean lives to His glory. If we don’t, we will certainly face His chastisement. An important teaching in the Bible is about believers being separated from sin and the ungodly activities of the world as much as possible.  It is taught all throughout the Old Testament.   God’s people, particularly Israel, were to keep their distance from the heathen so they would not be exposed or tempted by the ungodly involvement in sin. For centuries, separation from sin and even the “… appearance of evil …” (I Thessalonians 5:22) were preached from most pulpits and practiced by most people. Christians lived differently.  They spoke differently. They dressed differently. They believed differently.  They acted and thought differently.  They were ashamed, as were their families, when they were involved in sin or even imitated the lifestyles of the unsaved. God has not changed one bit since He had the words penned in [Lev. 20:7].

With a clear command from the Lord, we are commanded not to partake of the world’s ways.  The world has one pattern of living; we who know the Lord have another. We are not to live like them on any level. We have to live among them, but we do not have to live like them.

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children,” [Eph. 5:1].  “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,” [1 John 2:6].

In the World, But Not of It!

As the late Billy Graham once said, “Christians are like the Gulf Stream, which is in the ocean and yet not part of it. This mysterious current defies the mighty Atlantic, ignores its tides, and flows steadily upon its course. Its color is different, being a deeper blue. Its temperature is different, being warmer. Its direction is different, being from south to north. It is in the ocean, and yet it is not part of it.

…”You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [1 peter 2Z:9-

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 5:23].

Publisher’s Commentary By Wallace J. Allen IV

My brother/uncle/nephew/son, be careful! The chickens are coming home to roost!  We have sometimes/often/always miss-treated the women in our lives! Notice that I did not say, “our” women! I did not use the term “our” because that is the road to miss-treatment!  The women in our lives do not belong to us… They are not our property!

However, there is an attitude that prevails among some men, a secret society of “We Who Stand 2P” that regards “Those Who Sit 2P” as a slave-gender! The membership of that secret society ranges from the very rich and powerful to the poor and weak.

Their mistreatment of women is the common thread. Many men have paid mistreatment dues to the society and now, thanks to social media, the books have been hacked and all of the receipts reflecting payment to the club are becoming public knowledge.

The time/era that overtly embraced sexism has passed but the memory/damages of that treatment is in our world-face.  The last ditch stand to legitimize the society is being led by President Donald P-Grabbing Trump!

My brother/uncle/nephew/son, you are being solicited every day to maintain your membership in WWS2P!   President P-Grabber wants you to believe that sexism is alive and well… Don’t! Our war is not the boys against the girls… It is/should-be about good vs evil!

Dr. Margaret Hill

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—-SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) will be hosting a Piano Recital and Gala Event on Saturday, October 6 at the University of Redlands located at 1200 Colton Avenue in Redlands.

Master of Ceremonies will be Bryon Russell, former Lakers NBA Star who previously attended San Bernardino High School. The event will feature the Community Action Legacy Awards to honor individuals and organizations that have supported the mission and vision of CAPSBC of assisting low-income residents of San Bernardino County in achieving self-sufficiency.

The Board is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018

Assemblymember Eloise Gomez-Reyes

Community Action Legacy Awards. The Venny H. Newman Humanitarian Award will be presented to Dr. Margaret for her for her long-time, outstanding service to our communities and CAPSBC. Dr. Hill has been a distinguished educator, community supporter and advocate in our county since 1971. Her name is known throughout our county and we are grateful for her dedication to our communities and youth.

The Venny H. Newman Humanitarian Award is given as a tribute to Ms. Venny H. Newman who has dedicated her life to advocating for the poor and was a pioneer in the establishment of the Dependency Prevention Commission in 1965, now known as Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County.

Other award recipients include:

• Legislative Advocate Award: Assembly Member Eloise Gómez-Reyes
• Community Partner Award: San Bernardino Pastors United
• Helping People Changing Lives Volunteer Award: Dolores Armstead-Robinson
• Spirit of Hope Achievement Award: Francisca Tousely

Prior to the dinner, there will be a benefit concert for the CAPSBC Food Bank featuring “Two Piano Journey” with Michelle and Christopher Kuo, an incredible world-class piano ensemble team. They have performed in locations such as Carnegie Hall – NY, The Green Room – San Francisco, The Lighthouse Guild – NY, Rutgers University – NY, Friday Musicale – FL, Drew University – NJ, Old Dominion University – VA, and countless premier international sites.

For more information, call (909) 723-1523 or e-mail info@capsbc.org

School District Police officers reach out to community members during National Night Out in August 2018.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—-SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Paakuma’ K–8 School hosted an event for school staff, parents, and community members to share coffee and conversation with San Bernardino City Unified School District Police officers this past on Wednesday, October 3. Starbucks and Krispy Kreme doughnuts co-sponsored the event.

The October 3 event was the first in a series of community outreach meetings School District Police plan to hold at various SBCUSD schools.

“There are no agendas and no speeches,” said Sgt. John Guttierez. “It’s just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the District Police officers in your school community.”

By Aubry Stone, California Black Media

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—- One of the great advantages of Proposition 64 – the 2016 ballot initiative that legalized adult use cannabis – was the idea that it could start to address the disproportionately negative impact of marijuana arrests among communities of color. This disparity is well documented. Just a few years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union reported that African Americans were nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, even though use of the drug was roughly equal among both populations.

Prop 64 not only promised to reduce or expunge certain past convictions, it also presented employment opportunities in the newly legalized cannabis industry as a gateway to the middle class for many underserved communities.

As the head of a statewide organization that supports many minority-owned cannabis businesses, I know firsthand that communities of color are not seeing the promised opportunities of this new marketplace being realized.

EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— FONTANA, CA—Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), local officials and business representatives today celebrated the opening of a new public compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station located at 16231 Valley Boulevard in Fontana. The ceremony was held during National Clean Energy Week, which was first conceived in 2017 with the goal of advancing support of our nation’s energy sector through new methods of market development, policy change, and technological innovation. The new station was designed to serve the needs of the local and regional trucking industry and is the largest SoCalGas CNG fueling station constructed to date. SoCalGas also recently announced it will soon begin using renewable natural gas for the first time at the 25 utility-owned natural gas vehicle fueling stations across its service territory, as well as at six fueling stations in the San Diego area. Photos are available here.

“The latest generation of natural gas trucks, fueled with renewable natural gas virtually eliminate air pollution and emissions linked to climate change,” said Rodger Schwecke, senior vice president of gas transmission, storage and engineering for SoCalGas. “By giving truck drivers and fleet operators more locations to fuel up, we can put more of these trucks on the road and deliver an immediate benefit to communities, especially those along our busy freeways.”

“Fontana is proud to welcome our first compressed natural gas station to the city,” said City of Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren. “As one of the most important regional hubs for the U.S. trucking industry, having this CNG fueling station in Fontana will help us reduce our carbon footprint one truck at a time. We want to thank our partners at Southern California Gas Company for bringing this valuable resource to our community.”

The new CNG station extends the network of CNG stations across a key regional goods movement corridor and will provide owners and operators of natural gas-fueled trucks and other vehicles with a new, convenient place to fuel. The location, which is just off Interstate 10 (I-10) in the Inland Empire, was selected to serve a major logistics transportation corridor. More than 20,000 trucks travel along the freeway each day.

The transportation sector is responsible for 41 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of smog forming pollution. The latest heavy-duty natural gas engines can cut smog-forming emissions by more than 90 percent compared to the cleanest heavy-duty diesel trucks on the road today. When these trucks are fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG), greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by at least 80 percent.

SoCalGas has worked with fleet owners to secure millions of dollars in incentive funding for the replacement of diesel trucks with cleaner, new near-zero natural gas trucks. Each new natural gas truck that replaces a traditional diesel truck is the equivalent of taking 57 passenger cars off the road.

Renewable natural gas is produced from the methane generated in landfills, wastewater treatment plants, food processing and dairies and depending on its source, can be low-carbon or in some cases, even carbon-negative. It can be used to fuel trucks and buses, to generate electricity, to heat homes and businesses, and to cook.

Capturing the methane from these waste sources and using it for fuel has two benefits: It keeps methane, a greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere and contributing to climate change, and it reduces the use of traditionally-sourced natural gas.

Already, close to 70 percent of natural gas fleets in California are fueled with renewable natural gas.

The Fontana location is the 13th public SoCalGas-operated CNG fueling station to open, and there are 3 more currently under construction – one in Pacoima, one in Bakersfield and one in Ramona.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Board of Education started its meetings for the year on Tuesday, October 2. Meetings are now held every first and third Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Indian Springs High School MU Room.

The Board has been holding its meetings at Indian Springs High School (ISHS) since renovations began on the Board of Education building earlier this year. The Board held its September 18, 2018, Board meeting in the new ISHS Performing Arts Center, following the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Board meetings will continue to be held in the ISHS MU Room until the Board of Education building remodel is complete. Indian Springs High School is located at 650 North Del Rosa Drive in San Bernardino.

If you plan to attend Board of Education meetings and require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the SBCUSD Affirmative Action Office at (909) 381-1122 or mike.medina@sbcusd.com at least 10 business days before the meeting.

By Lue Dowdy

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— Breast Cancer Survivor, Quaneisha La-Faye Beavers is What It Do!

What up IE and everybody! As we all know October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

Last year I did a call out for models. I was so moved when Quaneisha La-Faye Beavers reached out to me to be featured in my column. She currently resides in San Bernardino, California but was born and raised in Merced, California.

Not allowing her circumstances to get the best of her, she decided to take charge and bring awareness to younger women about the importance of regular checkups. Quaneisha linked up with photographer, David Silvermoon and made magic in the studio. She wanted to show the world that it’s okay and you’re not alone.

This beautiful woman is truly an inspiration. Education is vital not just for women, but for men as well. It’s important to get checkups regularly. Mammograms are needed to detect early signs of breast cancer. Mammograms can spot breast cancer before a lump can be felt. Please take care of your health and get tested.

Until next week L’s!

More about Queen Quaneisha La-Faye Beavers:

Her hobbies include camping with her children, horseback riding and event planning. She currently works in the Medical Field, and her measurements are a 38 bust, 40 waist and hip 40. You can follow her on Instagram @pumpkin_pie31.

Inequality & Outsourcing Spur Continued Unrest at University of California

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA— Stalled labor negotiations between the University of California and its largest employee union, AFSCME Local 3299, reached a boiling point at Wednesday’s UC Board of Regents meeting when union leaders publicly announced that their members will be voting on whether to go on strike for a second time this year.

The forthcoming vote follows a 3-day walkout by 53,000 UC workers last May over the University’s outsourcing practices, which research shows is driving growing income, gender, and racial inequality within California’s 3rd largest employer.

“UC’s employment data shows that women are getting paid far less to start than men and that Black workers are vanishing,” said AFSCME Local 3299 President Kathryn Lybarger. “It’s because the University has stopped investing in career ladders and outsourced good middle-class jobs to low-wage contract companies that pay workers dirt.”

At issue for UC workers is the University’s practice of outsourcing career positions to independent contracting companies that pay workers less. In fact, data shows that the staffing ratio at UC San Francisco has been as high as 1 contractor to every 6 directly employed workers. UC workers say that the practice has the effect of taking jobs that once paid living wages with full benefits and turning them into low-wage contractor positions with few benefits and a higher risk of abuse. In the past, UC contract companies have been found to arbitrarily slash worker pay and pay full-time workers under multiple names in order to skirt overtime rules.

Research also shows that AFSCME Local 3299 represents the most diverse workforce segments at UC—resembling the demographic makeup of California as a whole more than any other workforce segment at the University. As such, workers argue that outsourcing has the effect of destroying career pathways for people of color and trapping them into low-wage positions. UC Davis Medical Center has even gone so far as to deny outsourced contract workers career Patient Care Technical Unit positions when they apply, despite the fact that the “temporary” terms of their contracts have been extended multiple years, in some cases.

“Outsourcing is pioneering a future of more inequality,” said Rosalyn Williams, an MRI Technologist at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center who spoke during public comment on Wednesday. “We will not allow UC to normalize a reality where darker skin means lower pay.”

UC’s Patient Care Technical Unit will be voting on October 9th and 10th to authorize a strike while its Service Unit workers will be voting on whether to join a strike in solidarity.