T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 10 • Dec. 29, 2022 - Jan. 4, 2023
MY TRUTH
WWW.TEXASMETRONEWS.COM
Dirk's Statue Unveiled Holiday
By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
2022
Dirk Nowitzki
- You're Done! Dear Readers: Three years have been some challenging ones. I Messenger Media was seriously impacted by COVID-19. We rely primarily on small businesses and at times, corporate America to purchase advertising and churches, schools, community centers and small businesses for distribution. Additionally, prior to the pandemic we prided ourselves on going where our people are so we attended at least five weekly community events, putting our papers in the hands of consumers. With COVID-19, most distribution points closed down or traffic came to almost a complete halt. Some businesses closed down or cancelled their advertising contracts and organizations were no longer having banquet, expos, concerts, etc. Much to our disappointment we were faced with paying more. But we stayed focused and kept our eyes on the prize. While some took an extended “Corona-cation,” we stayed on the job and added a daily newsletter that boasts a 58% open rate. Our “Can’t Stop, Wont Stop” mentality energized the team. INNOVATIVE PIVOTING We reached out to businesses, especially restaurants and we offered them ads in our publications if they would give each customer a copy of our papers with their to-go orders.. See MY TRUTH, page 15
Dirk's statue in downtown Dallas. Photo: Dorothy Gentry
By Dorothy J. Gentry Sports Editor
For 21 years he was the face of the Dallas Mavericks and a beloved athlete in this city. On Christmas Day, the gift that has been Dirk Nowitzki was immortalized in front of his family, friends, fans and former teammates on a chilly but sunny day.
Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks unveiled a 24-foot statue of Nowitzki – featuring his famous one-leg fadeaway – outside the American Airlines Center. “It was emotional,” said Nowitzki, the only NBA player to spend all 21 seasons with the same franchise. “When the thing went up, felt like the sun was just perfect today, just shining right on it.” The statue sits on the side of the AAC on a street named after him – Nowitzki Way. Earlier this year his jersey was raised to the rafters of the AAC and he is eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. Not bad for a kid from Germany who would end up spending all 21 of his years in the NBA with one team in one city. "You earned it for every fan of the Dallas Mavericks, for every fan of Dirk Nowitzki," Cuban said. The white bronze statue was made by Omri Amrany, who also designed a few sculptures of other NBA legends, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain. Nowitzki currently sits sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring leaderboard with 31,560 points. He has been named to 14 NBA All-Star rosters, 12 All-NBA rosters and he won an MVP and a Finals MVP. "Be the best you can be," Nowitzki responded when asked during a news conference with media what he wants his legacy to be. "Bring everything out of your talent, don’t leave any stone unturned...that was on the court. And I think the coolest thing off the court was how I grew into this community." The statue includes the shoes and jersey Nowitzki wore during 2011 season – they year they won the NBA Title. At the bottom of the statue, it reads: "Loyalty never fades away."
Black Press Publishers Honor Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. with NNPA Lifetime Achievement Award By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent When the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) removed the interim president and CEO tag from Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. in 2014, then NNPA Board Chair Cloves Campbell conveyed to the membership that the civil rights icon possessed the talent and contacts to make an immediate impact. Campbell, the publisher of the Arizona Informant, also highlighted another of Chavis’
Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., National Newspaper Publishers Association president and CEO
intangibles from which Blackowned media companies would benefit: energy.
Eight years later, and a decade after running the NNPA See BLACK PRESS PUBLISHERS, Page 3
Gifting Money Talk By Rodney A. Brooks
First of all, let me say, I’m not a grinch. So, I’m not suggesting that you don’t buy your young children the toys and gifts that they ask for. But the holidays are the perfect time to buy gifts for your children (or grandchildren) of any age that will teach them lessons about money and investing and provide them a solid foundation for their financial futures.
These holiday gifts for kids will both teach them about money and have a lasting impact on their lives Let’s start with a little lesson on the stock market. The last two months have been good for stocks, but it’s not hard to remember when stocks fell off a cliff earlier this year. Still, the S&P 500 is down 15 percent this year. But over the last 20 years the annualized rate of return for stocks is nearly 10 percent. Over the last 10 years the annual rate of return for stocks has been 16.4 percent. So, think about how a simple gift of $100 invested in the market would grow as your children or grandchildren grow. Let’s do an example. Invest $100 with a return of 6% to 10% a year and your return will be $2,330 in 20 years. But if you add $25 a month to that initial $100 investment, you will have $14,194. That gives you a sense of investing if conSee THESE HOLIDAY GIFTS, Page 10