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INSIGHT NEWS September 3 - September 9, 2012 • MN Metro Vol. 39 No. 36 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com
Minneapolis Urban League hosts 23rd Annual Family Day at Plymouth and Penn Ave.
Community unites to celebrate family
Minneapolis Urban League Family Day Parade
Travis Lee
Waves and cheers; drummers and dancers; floats and fancy cars were just some of the sights from the Minneapolis Urban League Family Day Parade held on Saturday, August 25, to kick off the 23rd Annual Family Day event. Thousands of twin cities residents turned out for the fun, fellowship, community resources, and stellar entertainment. Even the rain could not dampen the spirits of the people who came
out to celebrate. Again this year, Family Day was ‘back on the block,’ with activities filling the entire area between Logan and Penn Avenues. Lining both sides of the street were numerous information booths and tables full of useful resources for families. Nutrition counselors, childcare providers, family care and wellness support experts,
FAMILY TURN TO 12
McGee fights to save her home By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer
Harry Colbert, Jr.
Rose McGee seated (left) in her living room with David Gilbert-Pederson of Occupy Home (seated right), Cathy Spann (standing left), president of the Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition and Maren McDonell of the Northside Reinvestment Coalition and Jewish Community Action
Rose McGee has a beautiful home. Her lawn is meticulously maintained. Bright flowers accent her home’s walkway. Inside, there is a stunning custom mural of an African village painted on a living room wall. McGee takes great care of her Golden Valley house – a place she has called home for nearly 20 years. But as of May 18, McGee no longer owns her home.
McGee’s troubles began last summer when she was laid off from her job. According to McGee, who is the widow of William E. McGee, former chief public defender for Hennepin County, immediately she informed her mortgage holder, CitiMortgage, of her situation. McGee fell behind in her payments, but was all-thewhile in contact with Citi. She later found another fulltime job and requested to modify her existing loan. The home went into foreclosure and a sheriff’s sale was set for March. According to McGee, the sale was moved
out until April as she was negotiating with Citi to modify her mortgage. “It was a lot of paperwork that had to be submitted, but I thought they (Citi) were working with me,” said McGee. “I was told, ‘Don’t worry about any calls you get; they are robocalls.’” McGee said she went a few weeks without hearing from Citi and became concerned. “I called (Citi) on June fourth and a woman told me, “Ma’am has anyone told you your house has been sold?’” According to McGee, she was a victim of dual tracking
Bowman named Assistant Vice President at Associated Bank Trent Bowman has joined Associated Bank as assistant vice president, Community Reinvestment Act residential loan officer. He will work with first time home buyers to help them obtain down payment assistance funds, as well their best mortgage solution by assisting them throughout the process from loan origination to signing. Bowman brings 17 years of lending experience to the position and is part of the Emerging Markets Home Ownership Initiative. His office is located at 176 Snelling Ave., North St. Paul. Bowman was born and raised in North Minneapolis and is a shining example of the stellar business leadership North Minneapolis continues to produce, said Al McFarlane, Editor-in-Chief, Insight News,
Trent Bowman and President of McFarlane Media Interests, Inc., an North Minneapolis-based business. “Trent Bowman and his brother Troy delivered newspapers door to door for Insight in their pre-teen
Technology
You can find anything you want on a computer
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years,” McFarlane said. “They helped clean the Insight offices for pocket money, and if I remember correctly, young Trent reinvested his earnings into candy which he purchased to resell at school and to neighborhood youth. He is a born entrepreneur and the consummate professional. “Associated Bank chose right in selecting Bowman to lead their efforts to bring home ownership solutions for first time home buyers and others in our rebounding urban communities in St. Paul and Minneapolis,” McFarlane said. Associated Bane-Corp (NASDAQ: ASBC) has total assets of $22 billion and is one of the top 50 financial services holding companies
BOWMAN TURN TO 15
Lifestyle
Gone to Ghana: A dream pursued
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– a common practice in which a lender continues to pursue foreclosure even though the homeowner is applying for a mortgage modification. And who purchased McGee’s home? Well according to McGee, the very entity she was working with to save her home – CitiMortgage. But McGee, whose late husband was a champion for civil rights, said she too is a fighter and she is fighting to stay in her home. And she is not going it alone.
HOME TURN TO 11
GOP worst showing with Black voters in modern history
Steve Harvey celebrates ordinary people with new talk show HARVEY TURN TO 14 steveharvey.com
Full Circle To thine own self be true
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New York, NY – In the most comprehensive electionyear study of registered African-American voters in the battleground states, BET News’ original poll conducted by nationally-recognized pollster Cornell Belcher, reveals overwhelming support for President Barack Obama for a second term re-election and severe disapproval of Republican Presidential nominee Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). “Black, Red, White & Blue,” is a study of 800 registered Black voters in swing states that explores divisions within
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Education
Kevin Warren hosts backpack giveaway at Lucy Craft Laney
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